Demon Child
by Aria6
Summary: Ichigo is the offspring of a demon and a shinigami. He's lived in the plane of demons for all his life, but what happens when the banishment starts to fail, and shinigami come to renew it? And he meets a certain captain? Lemons, non-con, possible mpreg but not exactly. XD Ichigo/Byakuya
1. Chapter 1

Blood dripped slowly onto the hot sands.

Byakuya lifted his sword, eyes narrowing as he watched the approaching horde. Dead things surrounded him, their horny and gnarled bodies broken and shattered. But his blood had joined theirs, and he had exhausted almost all his reiatsu. He could no longer summon his ban kai, and there were still more than enough to finish him.

_A fitting end for a Taichou._ He thought, almost detached, as a more massive creature forced his way to the front. He had no idea what these beasts were, but they were not hollows. The powers they used were nothing like what he was used to, nothing that he had felt before. _I will die on my feet, with my sword in my hand, falling to an enemy of power._ Living was always better, of course, but very few Taichou got to die in their beds.

Then there was a waver in the ranks of the monsters. At first he'd thought he'd imagined it, but a section of them began to part. He blinked as he saw the monsters almost grovelling, dropping their weapons and behaving as though they were pleading for mercy. A slender form walked between the ranks of creatures and the powerful thing facing him snarled. Byakuya stared, taken aback as he saw the youthful face of a boy barely into adulthood. Bright orange hair, cut short, framed a handsome, hard edged face. Three red marks decorated one cheek and they seemed to glow as the boy turned his head, looking over the horde with indifference. He was wearing black armor that, Byakuya realized, had been fashioned from the skin of some of these twisted beasts. It looked like leather, soft and supple, but Byakuya knew how tough those hides really were.

"What do you want?" The creature that seemed to be in charged growled, his voice gravelly. The boy tilted his head to one side for a moment, before walking over to stand in front of Byakuya. Byakuya met his eyes and saw they were a liquid gold, beautiful and dangerous. Booted feet crunched on the sand as the boy came so close, he had to fight not to step back. But he held still, just meeting that feral gaze and was finally rewarded with a smile.

"I think I want this shinigami." The boy said, reaching out to touch a lock of black hair that was twisting in the wind. Byakuya dared not even breathe, as he saw many of the monsters surrounding him beginning to slink away. Was this a reprieve, or was he going into even greater danger? "You all have the conversational abilities of a qwii bird. Get lost, shoko." He said casually, as if the beast threatening him was nothing more irritating than a fly. The creature roared and struck out with one great hand.

Byakuya watched as that hand flew away, leaving a spurting stump. The monster froze for one moment, then fell apart into two pieces. The strikes were so fast that he could barely follow them. Even if he had been at his full strength, he was certain he would not have been able to handle those strikes. The rest of the monsters howled in terror and began scrambling over each other to run away.

That did not stop the boy from killing them in droves. The sand was soaked in blood and body parts when they finally managed to flee or die. The boy flicked the blood off his sword, a blade as black as midnight, before sheathing it.

"Stupid bastards." The boy said factually before turning to Byakuya and looking him over. "You're not healing yet?" He sounded slightly surprised and Byakuya blinked slowly at him.

"I am a shinigami. We are strong, but we do not heal that quickly." He said quietly. "What do you want from me?" This boy had to be a new kind of monster. Yet, he seemed so much more human than anything he'd seen in this hell of sand and heat. The boy lifted his eyebrows before giving him a wry smile.

"I want to know my father's people, shinigami. Perhaps you can teach me their ways. I already know how my mother's people do things, and I wish I didn't." The boy kicked a piece of a corpse away contemptuously. "Come with me and I'll take care of you."

"And if I do not?" He asked, meeting those gold eyes, and wasn't very surprised when lips curved into a cruel smile.

"I go tell those assholes I've reconsidered, and you are not under my protection. They'll be back in a flash." He examined the nails of one hand before looking up again, golden eyes laughing. "In fact, I bet plenty of them are hiding just out of sight, hoping I'll decide I don't want you. They do so love fresh meat." Byakuya extended his senses and realized the boy was right. There were many watchful presences not too far away, radiating terror and bloodlust in equal measure.

"Very well." He said, quickly coming to a decision. It would be much easier to escape from this boy when he was healed and recovered than to try escaping from the monsters when he was exhausted and injured. "What is your name?" He asked. "And what are you?" That was a question he dearly wanted answered.

"You can call me Ichigo. As for what I am, it's complicated. I'll tell you later. Let's get out of here before someone gets stupid again." Ichigo said emotionlessly before turning away. Byakuya followed him, wincing faintly at the way the gritty sand struck his wounds. "If you need me to carry you, just say. It would be faster anyhow."

"I can walk." Byakuya said. He didn't want the boy to touch him. It would feel far too vulnerable, and he did not trust Ichigo at all. The boy said nothing for a time before pointing at a rock formation.

"You see the hole in the top? I made that by jamming a _se-fa-kra_ right through it." He said conversationally and Byakuya suddenly froze. He knew that word, although it was not in a language he had ever heard used.

"That is a kind of demon?" He asked carefully, making sure he'd heard right. The boy glanced back at him, puzzled.

"Of course. Where do you think you are, exactly?" He asked and Byakuya felt his gorge rise. He'd honestly thought this was some kind of pocket dimension. But if this boy was correct, then…

"This is _Hi-Vikir-Stei?_" He asked and was sickened as the boy nodded. "How can you survive here?" The boy was so human. How could he survive in the dimension all the demons of the world had been banished to, after the shinigami came to be?

"It's where I belong." He said indifferently and Byakuya considered trying to kill him. But then he discarded the idea. He was simply too weak at the moment, and this demon was helping him for now.

But it was the duty of all shinigami to destroy demons, and he would always fulfill his duty.

* * *

Ichigo's lair, as it turned out, was a cave, carved into the side of a massive rock formation.

"-And then I chopped his head off." Ichigo completed his story, knawing on a dripping piece of meat. Byakuya was struggling not to be sick. Watching him tear the limb from a living demon had been bad. The pathetic way it had screamed when Ichigo's fangs had found its throat had been worse. Now he was eating the arm, and that was just disgusting, although he supposed it made sense. It wasn't like there was much to eat here. "And now it's your turn. Tell me a story." The boy demanded and Byakuya blinked, momentarily distracted from his nausea.

"What kind of story?" He asked and the boy tilted his head, thinking about it.

"Tell me about the Kurosaki clan." Ichigo asked and Byakuya stared.

"The Kurosaki?" That was utterly bizarre. They were a very minor clan, in service to the Shihoin clan. There was nothing remotely interesting or noteworthy about them. "What do you know of them?" Why should demons concern themselves with such a minor house? Ichigo sneered, tossing aside the broken remains of the arm he'd been devouring.

"All I know is my father's name. He was Isshin Kurosaki. My mother's family gave him the 'honor' of naming me before they tortured him to death. I never knew him, which is why I'm asking you." Ichigo said and Byakuya's eyes widened. Was he suggesting…?

"Tell me what you are and I will tell you what I know." He said softly. Ichigo's eyes flared for a moment, but then the boy shrugged.

"Why not? I probably should have started with that story, but I was proud of chopping that shoko's head off." Byakuya made a mental note that shoko was clearly an insult, not a name. "I'm Ichigo Kurosaki, I guess, although I don't really claim the last name. My father somehow stumbled into this place a thousand years ago. Some kind of accident I guess. As you might imagine, the demons were overjoyed to see him. Unfortunately for him, a demon lord caught wind of him and had him taken alive." Ichigo paused, scowling for a moment at nothing. "They spent a while breaking his mind and will. When they were done with that, they enchanted him to the point that he couldn't tell up from down. Then they convinced him that various female demons were his beloved wife. They pampered him through that stage, making sure he survived long enough to make me. That took about three hundred years. A lot of miscarriages and stillbirths."

"Why?" Byakuya asked, fascinated and horrified. "Why would they want a hybrid so badly?" He'd had no idea humans and demons could mate and produce offspring. There were no records of such a thing, so it must be incredibly rare. Ichigo grinned, leaning back against the cave wall.

"You saw me fight, and you ask that?" He laughed, sounding almost like a normal boy. "Hybrids are incredibly rare, but when one is successfully hatched and raised, we can surpass even a demon lord. Something about the spiritual essence of a shinigami and a demon fusing together. But more importantly, we can be used as a chink in the armor of the banishment." Byakuya's breath caught and Ichigo smiled. "Using a special ritual, a half-breed child can be used to call to Soul Society and open it to _Hi-Vikir-Stei."_ Byakuya reached for his sword, even knowing that if he drew it he would likely die. A demon lord could only be taken by many Taichou.

"Are you the reason demons are spilling into Soul Society?" He asked, quiet but deadly. They hadn't been aware they were demons, but the strange monsters had been appearing for months. Ichigo looked surprised.

"No, I'm not. That ritual has to be performed by blood kin, and I wiped out my mother's family. There's not a single one left to perform it. Demons are in Soul Society? That's strange. I'll have to look into that." Ichigo's gaze was far away and Byakuya let go of his sword. He wasn't sure why, but he believed the hybrid. "Weren't you going to tell me about the Kurosaki clan?"

"I'm afraid there isn't much to tell." Byakuya admitted. "They are a very minor house. I only know of one Kurosaki, but he is not in my unit and not likely to advance any further." The only reason Byakuya knew of the man was because he'd decided not to take him into his unit. Ichigo sighed.

"And here I was vaguely hoping I might come from princely lines. Hah!" Ichigo shrugged and patted the hilt of his sword. "Well, it isn't a surprise. Father's zanpakuto couldn't give me much information, but I had a feeling his origins were humble."

"You have your father's zanpakuto?" Byakuya extended his senses and found that Ichigo's sword was indeed a zanpakuto, but the power in it was strangely muted. Also, the link to Ichigo seemed tentative at best. The demon boy nodded.

"Father's last wish was that it stay to protect me. The demons tried to take it from me more than once, but it always managed to come back. I can't talk to it much though." Ichigo sounded a bit sad. They sat in silence for a moment before the boy shook his head. "But I seem to be doing all the talking! Tell me a story, Byakuya. Whatever story you like best." That made Byakuya smile, faintly. Despite his amazing power Ichigo still sounded like a boy.

"Let me tell you about how the clans were created by the Soul King." He said and told Ichigo the story. The boy listened intently and Byakuya found himself pausing frequently to explain very simple things. But how could a boy know what a sakura tree was? Or a silk worm? His concept of a garden was vastly different from any human or shinigami's.

"You said the Kuchiki clan smell like a sakura blossom?" Ichigo asked when he was done, and Byakuya nodded. "Can I smell you?"

"No." He said repressively and Ichigo smiled, golden eyes glinting with good humor. "Perhaps we should get some sleep?" Although he wasn't sure how much he would get. The cave was already cold and it was barely sundown. How cold would this desert get? Ichigo glanced outside and nodded. "Do you have any blankets?" If it was going to get much colder, he would need them. Ichigo looked slightly puzzled.

"I'm not even sure what you mean." He said cautiously. Byakuya hesitated. That was a rather basic concept, but perhaps demons didn't use bedding.

"Coverings like the ones I'm wearing, to preserve body heat." He explained carefully and Ichigo looked at his clothes before shaking his head.

"We don't have anything like that here." He said and Byakuya sighed, nodding. He'd expected as much. Ichigo looked at him a moment, gold eyes blank, then stood and began removing his armor. Byakuya felt a stab of unease as he realized the hybrid wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing beneath it. Yet, his skin seemed unchaffed by the harsh leather. "But my skin is warm. I can keep you warm." Grey eyes met blank gold and Byakuya suddenly realized, to his shock, that Ichigo did not want to do this. He'd actually expected the demon hybrid might show interest in his body. Demons were notorious for rape, and the boy had to be quite lonely. But instead, his eyes were empty and void of any emotion as the demon boy sat down beside him.

"You don't have to do that." He said, shaken by the look in those eyes. If Ichigo had shown lust, he would have refused in disgust, but this was different.

"You're shivering already. I think I need to. But please, do not face me." Ichigo's voice was remote and Byakuya hesitated before lying down, facing away from the hybrid. Ichigo curled up behind him, draping an arm over him and Byakuya found he was not just warm, he was nearly hot. He felt feverish but he could only assume that was the boy's normal temperature. The heat soon seeped into his clothes and the shivering eased. At first he could sense a great deal of tension in Ichigo's curled body, but that gradually eased as he did nothing. The hybrid's face pressed into his hair before Ichigo spoke.

"You smell nice. Is that the sakura?" He asked softly and Byakuya nodded.

"Most likely it is." He answered, letting himself drift away. He almost missed the whisper behind him.

"I wish I knew what a flower looked like…"

* * *

Light assaulted his eyes and Byakuya hisses softly as he shifted. Myriad injuries twinged and he was tempted to stay unmoving. But he had to tend to bodily functions. Ichigo was no longer beside him, and as he sat up and glanced around the cave he could see that the hybrid was gone, most likely to find his own breakfast.

Reminded, Byakuya pulled out a field ration and his flask of water. The water was nearly empty, but he had eight field rations, more than enough for a week. He would have to ask Ichigo to find him some water, but surely the hybrid needed to drink. He hoped so, at least. If there was no water in _Hi-Vikir-Stei _he would soon be in difficulties. And the whole mission would not fare much better. Reminded of his duty, Byakuya summoned up a hell butterfly and began a report.

_Soutachai, I have made contact with a friendly local. Unfortunately, I have no good news to report. This is Hi-Vikir-Stei and the forces invading Soul Society are demons. I am badly injured and in need of rest and replenishment, and will try to convince my contact to take a more active hand in events. He claims to be a demon-shinigami hybrid. I would like to request any information we have on such a breeding._ Byakuya sighed to himself as he let the butterfly go. He was certain that Yamamoto would consider Ichigo an abomination as terrible as the demons. But if he could convince the hybrid to help them, perhaps the old man would change his mind. He was half shinigami, after all.

Deciding he had lazed around enough, Byakuya stood and made his way to the exit of the cave. He paused, regarding it with a frown. There was a strange energy there that reminded him of a kido, but raw and untrained. He carefully reached out to touch it and found that it seemed to do absolutely nothing. Shaking his head, he stepped out and into the harsh light of day.

He hadn't realized Ichigo's cave was quite so high in the sky. The hybrid had carried him up, and he had been in no condition to really observe during that swift ascent. But the cave was situated behind a natural outcropping in the stone, and there was plenty of space for him to move around. Below him, the desert stretched outwards in endless sand dunes. He could see no demons on the sands, but perhaps it was too early for them. Or perhaps they were busy elsewhere.

_With the Divisions._ Byakuya felt a chill at the thought, and passionately wished he could return to the base camp they had set up around the rift. But his reiatsu was still too weak, and Ichigo had no reason to help him yet. He would have to work on the hybrid for a while, earn his trust, before asking to be escorted back. If the demon boy chose to help him, Byakuya had no doubt that he would make it back to the Division.

Gazing over the red sands, Byakuya noticed that the demon desert had a kind of stark, brutal beauty. Great stone formations reached for the sky, harsh and immense. Then his breath caught in his throat as a dozen little jewels seemed to drift towards him.

"What is this? …Ah." Byakuya relaxed as he realized they were birds. Shockingly beautiful, they were tiny but had long feathers and were all jewel-toned. He reached out his hand to a beautiful aquamarine specimen, smiling at the large eyes and the tiny beak. It was incredibly cute and stooped to land in his hand-

Then a hard hand grasped his collar and Byakuya gasped as he was yanked back. He managed to catch himself just in time to see a sword flash out, bisecting the unfortunate bird. It fell in a splash of blood and feathers and the other scattered, flying away madly. Byakuya stared in shock at the fallen bird, then turned on Ichigo in a fury.

"Why did you do that? I didn't think you were demon enough to enjoy pointless cruelty!" He snapped in anger. Grey eyes met molten gold, and held.

"Pointless? Dammit shinigami! This is _Hi-Vikir-Stei!_ Nothing but demons live here!" Ichigo snapped and Byakuya faltered. It had never occurred to him that the pretty, jewel-toned birds might be dangerous. Ichigo stooped to pick up a long feather. "Hold out your hand. Do it!" Feeling many misgivings, he held out his hand. Ichigo lowered the feather until the tip just touched his palm and Byakuya hissed as a drop of blood rose on his hand. "Those were qwii birds. The feathers are like razors and they spit acid venom. Demons keep them as pets and bred them to be pretty, but they've always had a place in the torture chambers." Ichigo's anger ebbed, turning into concern. "Nothing here is safe, Byakuya." Then he shook his head, speaking almost to himself. "You're too soft for this place."

"I am a Taichou." He reminded the hybrid. "Nothing about me is soft." Byakuya wanted to be offended, but found that he could not. Ichigo was concerned for him, and that was an emotion that should be encouraged in a half-demon. The redhead gave him a half smile before pulling off one of his gauntlets.

"I'm not referring to your power." He said, then stroked the feathers of the dead bird with his bare hand. Byakuya watched as Ichigo displayed his palm, which was unmarked. "I mean your skin. You're soft, and it's sweet, but you're not suited to this place. How long can I keep you with me before you die?" Byakuya met Ichigo's eyes again, wondering if that was a threat. But what he saw in those eyes was loneliness as full and deep as anything he had ever felt.

"You will have to return me to my Division." He said softly and saw a flash of pain in those golden eyes. "But not yet. I will stay with you for a while."

"Good." Ichigo nodded, pulling back on his gauntlet and looking at his cave. "Now how did you get out? My barrier keeps demons out, I thought it would keep you in." He sounded puzzled and Byakuya shrugged. He didn't know, and didn't want to be cooped up in the cave in any case.

"Perhaps we could go find some water?" He suggested and to his disappointment, Ichigo looked puzzled.

"Water?" He asked and Byakuya sighed to himself.

Ichigo was right. Nothing in the land of demons was safe.

* * *

_Master._ Byakuya propped himself up on one elbow, looking down at Ichigo. The young hybrid was deeply asleep, and looked surprisingly beautiful when he was completely relaxed. Glancing behind him, his gaze stopped on his zanpakuto. _I have made contact with Ichigo's zanpakuto._

"You have?" He said softly, surprised. He hadn't asked Senbonzakura to do that. "What have you learned?" He kept his voice down although he wasn't too worried about awakening Ichigo. The hybrid had managed to draw water out of the earth and Byakuya had refilled all his flasks, but the effort had been exhausting to him. He had fallen asleep as soon as they reached the cave.

_Everything he has said to you is true. The zanpakuto is named Zakanata. He is in a very poor state._ Senbonzakura sounded solemn and slightly distressed at the condition of his fellow zanpakuto. _He suffered terribly during his master's torture, and barely managed to bind himself to Ichigo's soul. He says that his duty is to remain until Ichigo can enter Soul Society. He will only rest when that is done._ Byakuya's gaze fell on Ichigo's black sword. The edge of it was chipped, reminding him of Zaraki's weapon. But instead of being a sign of personality, he thought the damage to the zanpakuto reflected the damage to the spirit within.

"A highly unnatural situation." Byakuya observed, feeling Senbonzakura's agreement. Normally a zanpakuto spirit followed his owner into death, and was reborn when another shinigami's soul called for him. The memories of each life were lost with rebirth. Zakanata had severely overstayed and he could only imagine the spirit's anguish. "Why did he agree to it?" Byakuya was certain that if he asked Senbonzakura to do such a thing, the samurai would refuse.

_I cannot say. When I asked, he started to weep and asked me to leave._ Byakuya flinched at that. He'd never heard of any zanpakuto being reduced to tears, and couldn't imagine Senbonzakura in such a state. Reaching out, he gently rested a hand on the black blade and tried to send it what comfort he could. But he could feel nothing from it.

"We must take him to Soul Society then. It is not right to leave them here like this." He said softly. He'd already been thinking that. Ichigo was more human than demon and leaving him here would be cruel, even leaving aside the suffering of his zanpakuto.

_Thank you, Master. I did not want to ask but I do not think Zakanata can endure this forever. I suspect he will eventually go insane, and possibly harm Ichigo as well._ Byakuya's lips tightened and he sighed. That was another thing he'd never heard of, a zanpakuto going insane. But if any situation could drive a spirit to the brink, this would have to be it.

"Who are you talking to?" Ichigo's drowsy voice interrupted his thoughts, and Byakuya looked down into sleepy golden eyes.

"My zanpakuto. Go back to sleep, Ichigo. It's very far from morning." He said softly but the hybrid shook himself, sitting up. Byakuya had to avoid looking at his nakedness. Ichigo was perfectly formed and his deeply tanned skin was surprisingly attractive.

"Let me go check something." He said softly and left the cave, still naked and unarmed. Byakuya stared after him, surprised, but Ichigo was only gone for a moment before he stepped back inside. "I thought so. Would you like to see something beautiful?"

"If you get dressed and take your zanpakuto." Byakuya said repressively and Ichigo smiled, quickly pulling on his armor. "How far will we have to go?"

"Not far at all. It's right outside." Ichigo said and Byakuya followed the demon boy, a bit confused. But the confusion was resolved as the hybrid pointed at the sky. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yes." Byakuya said, awed. He'd seen the northern lights before, on a trip to the living world. But they had been blue and green, and only one slim line. What he was seeing now was pink, blue, gold and green, shading together and dancing in rows along the sky. As he watched two of the lines seemed to tangle and curled around each other like a luminescent hurricane.

"I don't know what they are." The hybrid said, eyes fixed on the heavens. "I tried to touch them once." Byakuya glanced at him, surprised, and saw the colors of the sky reflected on his skin. That, too, was strange and beautiful. "I flew so high that I could hardly breathe and there was ice on my skin. And I never got close. They must be so high."

"It is called the aurora borealis, the northern lights." Byakuya told him, before taking one of Ichigo's hands. He wasn't sure why he did it, but it seemed right. "They say it's an effect of the sun and the air, and it only happens on the roof of the world. I don't know why it would happen here as well, but it is beautiful. Thank you for showing me, Ichigo." The hybrid gave him a heart breakingly sweet smile.

"I'm just glad you're here to show it to, Byakuya." And they stood together, watching the play of light in the heavens.


	2. Mistakes Happen

"Well, it's time for me to go scouting." Ichigo said cheerfully. They were both standing outside, near the edge of the rock formation. Byakuya looked at him, wishing he could come. But he was still not recovered, and he was beginning to wonder if something in this place was hindering his recovery. It was taking longer than expected. "I'll see if I can figure out what's causing those rifts you mentioned. You said there's more than one?"

"Yes. The largest one is where we've set our base camp, to prevent demons from entering it." He said. Ichigo nodded then clucked his tongue.

"Well, I'll avoid that one. I'm sure they wouldn't know what to make of me if I just waltzed right in!" He said and Byakuya nodded. That could end tragically for both sides. However…

"Ichigo, please help any shinigami you can." He said, knowing it was a lot to ask. The shinigami might attack the hybrid on sight. "Please." He didn't like begging, but Renji and Rukia and all his Division would be in danger. Who knew how many had already fallen? Ichigo grinned then, his eyes flashing with hot anticipation.

"You don't need to beg, Byakuya. I was planning on that anyway. I hate my mother's people." Ichigo unsheathed his sword and admired the edge for a moment. "Zakanata does too. He'll enjoy feasting on their blood. Don't worry about your Division, they'll have a little guardian angel today. Just make sure you stay inside, I'm going to be pissing a lot of people off." Byakuya took a deep breath and nodded. There was nothing he really wanted to do outside the cave in any case. "Later, Byakuya!" Ichigo jumped off the ledge and Byakuya watched as black bat wings appeared, spreading to catch the hot air off the sand. The demon boy soared into the sky, and he watched until he was gone before retreating to the cave.

_Master?_ Byakuya looked down at his sword. _It will be a great strain on us, but Zakanata has consented. If you wish, we can watch what happens through Ichigo's eyes._ Byakuya blinked at that, but wasn't too surprised. If zanpakuto were willing to cooperate, that was quite possible, but the energy drain on himself and Senbonzakura would be severe.

"Can you only do that when something is happening?" He sensed the spirits conferring and a silent confirmation. "Good. We shouldn't waste our strength."

_Yes Master._ Byakuya lay back on the stone and closed his eyes, trying to rest.

It would be some time before Ichigo encountered anything.

* * *

"_Heh." Byakuya heard the boy's voice, but it sounded strange and distorted through Ichigo's ears. "Isn't this a great big stinking hofor turd?" The boy spat on the sand and Byakuya wished he could tell him not to be so vulgar. But Ichigo had no idea he had an audience._

_Byakuya had a bad feeling that the boy was right. Renji and Rukia were fighting for their lives against a demon that looked disturbingly human. She was a tall female with long, bright red hair, almost the same shade as Renji's. Her eyes were green flecked with gold, and instead of armor she had bony growths that shielded her shoulders and vital organs. She fought with a sword, but it was no zanpakuto. Instead, it seemed to have been fashioned of demon bone. It clashed with Renji's shikai, raising sparks._

"_Howl, Zabimaru!" Renji's ban kai flowed at the woman and Byakuya felt a moment of hope. But she grabbed Zabimaru's fanged mouth and somehow stood, holding it back by simple force. Her laughter bounced off the sands._

"_Way of Destruction 73: Twin Lotus Blue Fire, Crash Down!" Byakuya's heart was in his throat as he heard Rukia use that kido. It was one of her strongest. And it might have been effective, but the demon laughed and yanked Zabimaru to the side. It should have been impossible for her to move something so large and strong that way, but she did and Zabimaru shrieked as the energy hit her._

"_Damn it Rukia! My ban kai – erk!" He was down then, with the demon woman's hand on his throat._

"_Ah ah ah. One step closer and I tear this out." She said sweetly as Rukia took a step, and placed a hand over Renji's heart. "I'm sure it would taste good, strong and brave just like the owner. Brave little shinigami, but why are you here? Why have you left behind Soul Society for our welcoming sands?"_

"_Why are you coming into Soul Society and killing people, bitch?" Renji gasped out as her nails bit into his skin. The demon woman sniffed the air appreciatively, enjoying the scent of his blood. Byakuya tried to urge Ichigo to act, but the demon boy was just quietly creeping closer. What was he planning to do?_

"_We are? Someone is being naughty. I'll have to tell my mother, when I bring her a little prize. A woman is not much good to us… they die so easily in the bearing… but I think she would like you. If I leave your little friend, will you cooperate, shinigami?"_

"_Renji, no!" Byakuya was afraid Rukia was going to attack at any moment. But Renji ignored her, meeting the green gold gaze of the demon without fear._

"_I'll go – " Then Ichigo moved. Renji stopped speaking as the woman opened her mouth in a silent scream and blood splattered against his chest. "What?" Byakuya watched as Ichigo put his cheek against the woman's cheek and she moaned in agony. His hand was in her chest, clenched around her heart._

"_Hello Hikana. Remember the last time we met? I remember. I remember what you did to me." Ichigo said softly, his voice a deadly whisper that made Byakuya's heart go cold. "It's a shame I can't do the same to you, but it's not my style. Call this a little payback. Your mother is going to be so unhappy with you."_

"_Kill… you… you… half… breed… freak… AH!" She managed to scream as Ichigo ripped the heart from her chest and she fell onto Renji, who threw her off violently. Ichigo laughed and bit into the heart. Byakuya could taste the blood and the essence trapped within the organ, and reeled at the feeling of demon power flooding Ichigo's system. He was taking in part of his victim's power with the flesh._

"_Why so shocked, shinigami?" Ichigo asked and Byakuya turned his attention outwards, seeing that Renji and Rukia were both readying their weapons against him. "This is exactly what she would have done to you, after she finished raping and torturing you into insanity. Believe me, I know." Ichigo finished the heart and drew his sword, stepping over to the corpse. The green gold eyes were still glaring defiantly. "Now, let's make her next resurrection take a long time, shall we?" Byakuya felt slightly sick as the hybrid proceeded to mutilate the corpse, cutting it into dozens of pieces and deliberately poking out her eyes. But at least there was a purpose behind it._

"_Resurrection? She'll be back?" Rukia looked pale and sounded shocked at the viciousness. Ichigo nodded._

"_Her kind always comes back. But it's going to take her at least five years to recover from this one." He flicked the blood off his sword and turned to leave._

"_Wait! Who are you? Why did you do this?" Renji shouted and Ichigo paused, looking back with laughter in his eyes._

"_I'm Ichigo Kurosaki. And as for why, Byakuya asked me to. You can thank him later." Renji was running at Ichigo then, his shikai leading but the demon boy flash stepped away and vanished into the sands. Byakuya felt his and Ichigo's zanpakuto's releasing the connection and gladly returned to his own body._

_He was glad to see Rukia and Renji were still alive._

* * *

_The next moment Byakuya spent sharing Ichigo's eyes was very, very short._

"_These guys don't need any help." Ichigo summed up Zaraki and his men very well. Zaraki was laughing like a madman as he tore through the ranks of demons and engaged a powerful one. It wasn't as strong as the woman Renji and Rukia had been facing. "And there's no one as strong as that bitch here. Moving on…" And the connection ended._

* * *

"_Huh." Ichigo was examining a very small rip. Byakuya could feel Zakanata's desperate desire for the demon boy to pass through it, so he could finally complete his last vow. But it was too small and the zanpakuto fell back in defeat and pained resignation. "If I didn't know better I'd say this is natural. But if that's the case, then the whole banishment thing must be failing. How could that be?" Byakuya's heart clenched, hard, at the thought. If the banishment failed completely the land of demons would return to what it once was, part of Soul Society. And everything inside would come with it. "No, it can't be natural. Someone must have found a new way to break through. I wonder how, and who?" The boy looked around and Byakuya could tell he was extending his senses, looking for anything amiss. "This isn't telling me – eh?" There was a scream and a laugh. "Another?" Ichigo sighed and unsheathed his sword, flash stepping over the sand._

_Byakuya didn't recognize the man on his back, desperately fending off the strikes of the demon above him. This demon also looked almost human, but from Ichigo's less than impressed snort, he was less powerful than Hikana. He had dark blue skin and red eyes that widened in terror as he set his eyes on Ichigo._

"_You! I was just – we were – they're invading our land! We were fighting for our freedom! Yes!" Byakuya blinked at this very un-demonic behavior. Ichigo's snort turned into a huffed out laugh as the stunned shinigami looked over his shoulder to see what was terrifying the monster in front of him. "Mercy, oh dreadful one?"_

"_You're kidding me, right?" Ichigo pointed his sword at the creature, which fell to his knees with a whimper. "…Ah fuck. You really are an expert groveller, shoko. Go back to your daddy and tell him that if he knows what's causing these rips and doesn't tell me, we'll be having words. And leave the shinigami alone. You were just amusing yourself and we both know it."_

"_Yes Ichigo! Yes!" The demon abased himself several times before scuttling away on all fours. Byakuya had to grant that Ichigo was right, he was truly an expert groveller. Ichigo sheathed his sword and turned to the shinigami._

"_Are you strong enough to – ah. No." The man had fainted and Byakuya frowned to himself at the injuries. They were extensive. "If I leave you here, the qwii birds will eat you. Damn." Ichigo seemed torn for a moment before picking the shinigami up and heaving him over one shoulder. "Hopefully there won't be a fight." Now Byakuya understood. Ichigo would have to deliver the man to the main camp, and he wasn't keen on that at all._

_For good reason. Shinigami were running to fight as soon as they saw him, but Ichigo just dropped the man onto the sand and ran away. The shinigami following were briefly distracted by their comrade, and Ichigo managed to get away with only a bit of scorched hair. Byakuya still cringed inwardly as the kido thundered over the boy's head._

_Perhaps he should include a description of the boy in his next report. Then maybe he would be a bit safer._

* * *

Byakuya was standing on the ledge, waiting for Ichigo to return, when the hell butterfly arrived.

_Kuchiki Taichou, please report to your Division as soon as you are recovered. We are sorely pressed. Reports are already coming in about your human-shinigami hybrid, and you will be pleased to know that several powerful soul reapers would not be with us if he had not intervened. We have searched through the records and found several ancient accounts of such creatures. From what we can determine, temperament can vary from full demonic to entirely shinigami, or something in between. Also according to those records, they have vast power. Please be cautious._ Byakuya nodded, unsurprised. They really hadn't told him anything he didn't know. The Division, however, worried him greatly. He test fired a kido and found his strength was still far too low. Even if Ichigo brought him to the Division immediately, he would have to rest.

_You want to stay._ Senbonzakura observed and Byakuya nodded.

"He is very lonely, and he looks like a boy, although I know he is not." Ichigo hadn't given him his age, and Byakuya doubted the demon boy even knew it. But he'd said Isshin had arrived here approximately a thousand years ago, and it had taken three hundred years for him to be conceived. So even if those numbers were greatly off, Ichigo was certainly not a child. "He deserves better than this." Byakuya could tell that Ichigo's heart was that of a shinigami. The boy tried to hide it, but he lived to protect.

"He deserves a fist through the heart." A voice above him hissed and Byakuya blocked a blow to his face. His eyes widened as he saw the group of four demons. They had been on the rock above him! But how had he not sensed them? "Shouldn't have played with that kido, pretty. Didn't you know we could sense it?"

"Scatter Senbonzakura." He said calmly and the demon shrieked in pain as petals sliced into his horny hide. A more human demon launched an attack and then the battle was on. He could feel Ichigo's furious reiatsu, drawing ever closer. He only needed to delay them long enough for the hybrid to arrive. It was humiliating to need protection, but all of these four were moderately powerful. Even so, he managed to kill one before they overmastered him.

But then it was too late. He was pinned against the cliff face, a clawed hand around his throat, so tight that he could scarcely breathe. Black spots were flashing in front of his eyes when one of the other demons tapped that one on the shoulder.

"Don't kill him, or we'll have nothing to bargain with." He advised. The demon grunted and eased his hold just enough for Byakuya to take a breath. "But don't get cute, shinigami, or he'll tear out your heart and eat it in front of that hybrid you've been fucking."

"We… have not been…" He managed to say then growled to himself as the demons laughed.

"No? What a waste. And he even has the right sized dick for you." One of them said with a coarse chuckle. Byakuya's eyes narrowed as a bit of blood trickled over his face, and he made an oath to himself to destroy them all.

"Let him go!" Ichigo's voice roared and one of the demons was knocked clean off the cliff by his enraged attack. Byakuya gasped as the demon holding him suddenly dragged him in front of him. The claws dug painfully into his throat and he felt blood seep down his skin.

"Calm down, half breed, or we'll cut your little toy's neck." The talkative one said and Byakuya saw Ichigo hesitate. The demon he'd knocked off was flying back up, swearing some blood curdling threats. "And Bakiko here will eat his heart. He won't be coming back after that."

"You idiots! Shinigami don't come back from anything. Be careful!" Ichigo snapped as Byakuya swallowed, tilting his head back to try to relieve the pressure on his throat. "What do you want?"

"We thought about just stealing your shinigami, but we knew they're rather fragile. Never come back?" The demon shook his head in mock sadness. "But we've never tasted your strange flesh. Give us your body for a night and we'll leave your little shinigami in peace."

"No." Byakuya croaked, reaching up and gripping the wrist of the demon. He completely ignored the feeble pressure, not taking his gaze off Ichigo. Byakuya could see the molten anger in those golden eyes, and the powerless frustration.

"Very well. Let him go." Ichigo growled and Byakuya felt ill. The boy would really do this?

"You c-can't – agh!" The second demon poked him in the side, which was about the same as being stabbed by a dagger. Byakuya saw Ichigo's knuckles whiten on his sword's hilt as the hybrid struggled to remain calm.

"He can and he will. Give us that funny little oath of yours, half breed. Then drop that sword and strip." The second demon said with a chuckle and Ichigo dropped his head for a moment. When he raised it again his eyes were empty and distant.

"I swear on my father's name, I will give you the use of my body for one night, to do with as you will, short of death, if you leave that shinigami in my cave alone and unharmed." Ichigo said emotionlessly. Then the zanpakuto dropped onto the ledge and the hybrid began to strip away his armor.

"Agreed and accepted." The second demon started towards Ichigo as the first began to drag him to the cave. "And put that shinigami to sleep. He'll try to interfere."

"Right." The monster holding him grunted and Byakuya blinked as a sudden wave of dizziness assaulted him. Just as he went under, he heard Ichigo scream and the sound rent his heart.

Then there was nothing.

* * *

_Byakuya looked around, wondering where he was._

_He quickly identified it as an inner world, but it was like nothing he had ever seen. White dunes of sand stretched out in every direction. The sky was a beautiful blue, dotted with white clouds. Great spires of white stone reached up to the heavens and he suddenly realized that this was identical to the desert of the demons, but white instead of red._

"_Ichigo's inner world." He said to himself. What else could it be? Inner worlds could vary greatly from person to person, but most people had experience with various places and environments. Ichigo knew only sand. "But why am I here?" He walked over the dunes, puzzled. Normally only true resonates could connect with each other this way._

_That thought was completely derailed as he heard a voice sobbing, and a second voice trying to comfort. He ran towards the voices, slipping and sending granules of sand flying as he ran. Then he skidded to halt on top of one of the dunes, looking down at two zanpakuto._

_Senbonzakura was there in his full samurai glory, but he was trying to be kind and comfort the sobbing man beside him. Byakuya stared and saw that saying Zakanata was in a poor state was a severe understatement. The zanpakuto had taken the form of a brown haired, bearded man, of medium build. Once he had worn armor almost as glorious as Senbonzakura's but now it was in tatters. Beneath the shattered remains, there were bandages oozing blood. It looked like the zanpakuto had been tortured, and the wounds were fresh. His heart lurched as he thought of Ichigo and what he was going through. Was the damage he took reflected on his zanpakuto?_

"_I have failed him… I always fail him… it keeps happening again and again! One little mistake, boys have to make mistakes, but then this happens! Why Senbonzakura? My Isshin, I can't protect your son…" The zanpakuto shook with the force of his sobs and Byakuya could feel his spirit breaking. "Ichigo… Ichigo…"_

"_It is not your fault. You are doing the best you can for him." Senbonzakura reassured the zanpakuto, gently patting his shoulders._

"_No, it's your fault!" Zakanata shoved Senbonzakura away and was suddenly standing in front of Byakuya. Furious brown eyes met shocked grey as a fist tangled in his scarf. "Why did you have to use that kido? You can't make mistakes here! They're always waiting and watching! Looking for the littlest thing to pounce!" Byakuya couldn't think of what to say as guilt hit him. Zakanata was right. It was his fault Ichigo was degrading himself right now. But then Senbonzakura was there, gripping Zakanata's wrist._

"_Stop it. You said it yourself, boys have to make mistakes." He said and Zakanata's grip slackened. The zanpakuto stepped back as another sob wracked his body and he fell to his knees._

"_I'm such a failure… Isshin… Ichigo…" Senbonzakura went back to trying to keep the other zanpakuto from breaking, and Byakuya could only watch._

_His touch and comfort would not be welcome to Zakanata right now._

* * *

Byakuya woke up as the demons left, releasing their sleeping charm. So he got to see Ichigo crawl through the entrance of the cave.

"Ichigo." He whispered, unable to believe the boy was alive. He'd never imagined anyone could live through such injuries. His flesh had been mutilated and gouged, his legs were both badly broken, one eye was missing… Byakuya had to stop. If he kept cataloguing the boy's injuries he would throw up, and that would help no one. Only his face was mostly recognizable. Everything else was a ruin. He went to the boy and knelt beside him, activating a healing kido.

"That feels nice." Ichigo said, his voice hoarse and rasping. Byakuya swallowed as he saw the speed with which the injuries were healing. Even as he watched, the legs were straightening themselves and reforming. How many times had they done this to him?

"Here, drink this." He offered the boy one of his flasks. Ichigo might not need water to live, but it would probably help with his throat. The hybrid took a sip and sighed.

"Could get used to that." He said softly, then blinked his remaining eye as Byakuya began another healing kido. "Don't… keep doing that. I'll be fine." Byakuya looked down into his face, then away. The eye was reforming, but it was a nauseating sight at the moment, a strange ball the size of a grape that was expanding slowly to fill the empty space.

"I am sorry. This was my fault." Byakuya said softly, looking into that battered face. Ichigo smiled, sweetly and sadly.

"We all make mistakes." He said, echoing Senbonzakura. "I'll be fine. Hardly the first time someone has made me submit…" Ichigo sighed, closing his eye for a moment.

"Zakanata is very upset." Byakuya offered, glancing at the black zanpakuto. He didn't know if Ichigo could do anything to help him, but thought the hybrid might want to know. Ichigo blinked and turned his head to look at the blade. The demons had thrown it into the cave, along with his armor.

"Awww… bring it here, please?" Ichigo asked weakly and Byakuya complied, bringing him the sword. Ichigo curled around it, cuddling the hilt to his cheek. "Don't be sad Zakanata. It's not your fault we do dumb things. I love you, I need you, I want you. You've been my only friend." Ichigo sniffed and a tear rolled down his cheek. "Father would be proud of you. You've looked out for me for so long…"

_That has helped. He is still weeping, but it a better sort of crying._ Senbonzakura said quietly and Byakuya nodded. _He will be fine for now._

"It's going to take a few more hours for me to recover enough to hunt." Ichigo said, still cuddling his zanpakuto. "Can you tell me a story Byakuya? Something about flowers?" Byakuya swallowed and nodded.

"I will describe my garden, as it looks in the summer." He closed his eyes and tried to picture it, then tried to bring that picture to life with words. And he made a silent vow to himself. He would get Ichigo back to Soul Society, and protect him there.

Just like the hybrid had protected him here.


	3. Revelations and Sandstorms

Ichigo stepped back into the cave, dragging the corpse of a lesser demon. Byakuya watched without comment as he took it to one particular section of the cave, which was already decorated with old bloodstains, and tore into it ravenously. His body undoubtedly needed replenishing after coming so close to death.

_Master, you should probably send a hell butterfly to let Yamamoto know what has occurred._ Byakuya sighed. He'd been putting that off, but Senbonzakura was right. He called up the butterfly and gave it a terse report of events and a promise that he would return as soon as he could, before releasing it.

"What was that?" Ichigo asked, before taking another huge bite of demon organs. Byakuya shook his head.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." He admonished and smiled slightly at the confused look on Ichigo's face. "It's impolite. That was a hell butterfly, we use them for messages." He was a touch surprised when Ichigo frowned.

"Be careful. Wouldn't be surprised if demons can sense and track those." He cautioned and Byakuya blinked before frowning. "They're pretty weak though, so they'd probably need to be almost on top of it." Ichigo allowed and Byakuya relaxed slightly.

"Well, the location of the base camp is no secret, and it seems they already know where we are." He said and Ichigo nodded, his eyes going cold and remote for a moment before he turned back to the corpse. Byakuya waited until every bit of flesh was stripped from the carcass before he spoke again. "Ichigo, can I ask you something?"

"Sure." The demon hybrid settled onto the ground, a hand on his belly. His gold eyes were sleepy now and Byakuya had a feeling he was digesting the power and flesh he had just finished taking in.

"Why didn't you lie to them?" He asked carefully and winced internally at the flash in Ichigo's eyes. "I was always told that demons honor no oaths, unless it benefits them." This oath certainly hadn't benefited Ichigo in the slightest, and as soon as Byakuya was in the cave the hybrid could have turned on those demons and destroyed them. None of them had been as strong as the woman he'd killed. Ichigo sighed, looking away.

"If you want to know that, I'll have to tell you a story. It's a very sad story though. Do you want to hear?" He glanced back and Byakuya nodded. "My mother told me this story. She was very confused by it, and wanted to see if I could explain. I tried, but she never could understand." Ichigo took a deep breath before continuing. "You know how I was conceived. They kept my father alive until I was born and clearly in good health, but they didn't need him after that. They decided to start with a bit of psychological torture. So they let the illusions fall away and sent my mother to him, holding me, so he would know the monster he had sired. He wept when he saw me, and they were happy, but then he asked to hold me. The demons were confused but allowed it, to see what he would do. He petted my hair and named me Ichigo, because I would be a strong defender and because I looked like a little strawberry." Ichigo's lips twitched. "I've never seen a strawberry, so I take that on faith. My mother's family was angry then, it wasn't the reaction they had wanted. So they told him all the terrible things they were going to do to me, and he wept again, holding me close to his chest." Byakuya swallowed as his imagination easily painted the scene. "Then he called out for his zanpakuto. It was only a broken hilt, and the demons thought for a moment he might mean to kill me with it – they were ready to stop him – but he pressed it into my little hand and begged Zakanata to protect me until I could go to Soul Society. The sword became whole again, and bonded to me. The demons were angry then and tore me away from him to begin the torture. They had meant to keep him alive for months, even years, but he died that day. His body rejected any healing they tried to give." Ichigo paused and smiled sadly. "Mother couldn't understand when I tried to tell her why."

"Why do you think Isshin acted that way?" Byakuya asked quietly. He wanted to hear Ichigo put it into words. The hybrid looked up at him, his gold eyes sad and lonely.

"He loved me. He hadn't wanted me, hadn't meant to make me, but he loved me all the same." Ichigo said quietly and Byakuya nodded. Isshin's love shone like a star in that story. "I wish I'd known him. Zakanata tries to tell me about him, when I can hear him, but it's not the same. And that's why I honor any promise I make in his name. It may be stupid and foolish, but it's what I do." Ichigo sniffed then smiled. "And if we talk about it anymore, I will cry." He said lightly. "Can you tell me a story Byakuya? I shouldn't go out today, I'm still a bit weakened."

"Certainly." Byakuya tried to think of something cheerful. "Would you like to hear about the Living world? I once spent a great week in a resort, learning to play pool."

"Pool?" Ichigo asked and Byakuya smiled as he tried to explain the game to the hybrid. The demon boy had no trouble with the concept, though. As it turned out, demons did play, so it wasn't too hard. Although Ichigo did ask if there was a penalty for losing, and was surprised to find out there wasn't. Byakuya tried to imagine what penalties he was used to, and decided he didn't want to know.

Someday, he would take Ichigo to the Living world and show him a pool cue personally.

* * *

_Byakuya watched as Ichigo walked down the spiral path._

_Senbonzakura quietly informed him that this was a demon hive, and Byakuya was very curious to see it. He would have to write an account and add it to the family records. As far as he knew, no shinigami had seen such a thing and lived to tell of it._

_The hive was buried deep in the earth, and the path Ichigo was walking led him into great caverns. Glowing fungi on the walls illuminated the area, casting shadows that seemed to move of their own volition. Ichigo ignored them and ignored the demons he met, all of whom cowered and abased themselves._

_As the hybrid penetrated deeper into the hive, though, the demons he encountered became more powerful and Byakuya noticed a change in attitude. They were still respectful, but the fear and deference decreased as they came closer and closer to being Ichigo's peers in power. It wasn't surprising, but he couldn't help but worry for the demon boy. If these demons turned on him he would likely escape, but he would be badly hurt._

_Ichigo didn't seem to be the least bit worried, though. He finally stepped into the heart of the nest and gazed at the man in the centre of the room. He was naked and lying on a bed of bleached bones. He appeared almost completely human, a beautiful man with jet black hair and eyes of icy black. Female demons waited on his beck and call, tending to the slightest whim, and Byakuya was certain he was looking upon a demon lord._

"_Ichigo. To what do I owe the visit?" He said lazily, holding out a hand. A heart stoppingly beautiful demoness helped him up, and Byakuya noticed the female demons here were very different from Hikana. They seemed softer and many were very obviously pregnant, since they were all as naked as their lord. He found it all more than a bit embarrassing to watch, but he was too concerned for Ichigo to stop. "Would you take some refreshment with me?"_

"_Of course, Gilshratz." Ichigo said in an almost friendly tone and Byakuya blinked to himself. Ichigo claimed to hate demons, but he didn't seem to have much of a problem with this one. They both took seats and one of the female demons brought them a tray of fresh, steaming hearts while the other poured them something out of a bone urn. The cups they were using were made out of more bone. Ichigo carefully sniffed his drink before taking a sip._

"_Checking for poison? When have I done anything to you, Ichigo?" The demon lord said with a laugh as he took a deep draught from his cup. Ichigo shrugged._

"_Never, and I would like to keep it that way. I imagine you got a report from that little rat I spared?" He said and Gilshratz nodded. "I thought I would check in person to see if you know anything. I've been scouting, and there are dozens of tiny rifts now." That made the demon lord scowl and Byakuya wondered why. Surely he would be glad to escape the banishment._

"_I know nothing." He sounded displeased to admit it. "No one seems to know anything, or they aren't admitting it. I've sent my demons to go check the Stones of Eternity."_

"_The Stones? What do they have to do with this?" Ichigo asked and Gilshratz paused, then smiled._

"_I suppose you wouldn't know. No one likes to talk about just how we were bound, eh? The stones are the seal over the dark mother, and the ultimate seal on our banishment. If someone has found a way to disrupt them it would explain what is happening." He finished his drink and motioned his attendant for more, before biting into a heart. Ichigo sniffed the meat before also taking a large bite. "It's not the right time for this. I'm not ready." He complained and Byakuya tried to understand. What did he mean by that?_

"_It's always better to meet the great mother on your feet than on your knees." Ichigo agreed. "Please let me know if you find out anything. Oh, would you like to hear about a game they play in the Living World?" The demon lord looked intrigued._

"_The Living World? I was born here, you know, during our banishment. I've never seen Soul Society, let alone that place. What kind of game?" He listened and ate as Ichigo gave him a good rendition of the game of pool. "What is the punishment for losing?"_

"_There is no penalty. Apparently, humans and shinigami don't do that." Ichigo said lightly. From the look on Gilshratz face, he found that hard to comprehend. "But you could always add one."_

"_I would have to. But it sounds like a game of skill, and I'm getting tired of the same old Reki-ball games. Perhaps I'll see about making one." There was more small talk, including some things that sounded suspiciously like gossip. Demons were clearly more complicated than Byakuya would have believed. Ichigo finally bid his host goodbye, and Gilshratz invited him to come by anytime as the connection closed._

_It seemed there was at least one demon lord that Ichigo considered to be almost a friend._

* * *

Byakuya and Ichigo stood on the ledge again, looking at the show of lights. They were glorious tonight, but all in shades of red. Byakuya shivered as he looked at Ichigo's face. The reflected light almost looked like blood.

"Let's go inside." He said to the hybrid, who looked a bit surprised but nodded.

"You didn't like them tonight?" He asked as they stepped back into the cave, and Byakuya shook his head.

"I prefer it when they have more colors." He said honestly. Ichigo nodded as he began removing his armor. Byakuya paused to watch, struck again by how handsome the demon boy was. In almost every way, his body was the image of physical perfection. Then Ichigo seemed to feel his eyes, and the warmth and friendliness in his face turned to wariness. Byakuya sighed to himself, looking away. Perhaps now was not the time to grasp what he was longing for.

_But when will be the time?_ Byakuya admitted to himself that he found Ichigo desirable, but it was more than that. He admired everything about the hybrid, and could easily imagine those strong arms holding him for more than just one night. Even forever. And a weak, selfish part of him knew that Ichigo was nothing like Hisana. He'd seen the boy practically ripped to shreds, and he'd healed. This time, he would not have to worry about being left alone. _When will be the time?_ Could Ichigo accept his attentions, or would he see that terrible blankness in those golden eyes?

"Byakuya?" Ichigo was sitting beside him, naked, and his expression was both wary and disturbed. "You're looking at me funny." Byakuya blinked slowly at him.

"Could you face me tonight?" He asked quietly and saw the demon hybrid blush. Ichigo blinked, but that chilling void did not enter his eyes.

"If you want." He said quietly and lay down beside him. As strong arms wrapped around him, Byakuya looked into those hurting golden eyes and dared to press their lips together. The hybrid was completely still for a moment, and Byakuya could sense he had no idea what to do. _I will show you._ He could sense both the zanpakuto's watching closely, afraid for their owners, but it did not disturb him in the least as he deepened the kiss and was rewarded by a soft moan. But then Ichigo pulled away.

"No… we shouldn't… I could hurt you…" Ichigo was flushed and Byakuya could feel the boy's arousal against his thigh. He smiled slightly at the words. Ichigo was afraid of hurting him? That was much better than what he'd feared, that the boy would reject him from the pain of his own traumas.

"I told you, Ichigo. I am not soft." He said quietly and gripped the back of the boy's head, pulling him close for another heated kiss. He probed at Ichigo's lips until the boy let him in, and explored the warm cavern of his mouth, almost nicking his tongue on the sharp fangs. They were both gasping when the kiss ended.

"B-But, I'm so hard, even my skin must hurt you –" Byakuya raised his eyebrows and ran a hand along Ichigo's chest. The skin was warm, and there was a strange lack of give to it, but it was far from unpleasant. "And I… I…" Ichigo's voice fell to a whisper. "I don't know what to do."

"You are a virgin?" Byakuya knew that was wrong the instant he said it. That chill touched Ichigo's eyes briefly, before he shook his head with a weak smile.

"Not since I was five." Byakuya closed his eyes at that answer, a jolt of pain passing through him. But then he opened them and met golden eyes that were shadowed with old pain. "I was big enough to survive then. But being violated in every conceivable way doesn't give me much useful experience."

"I am very glad your mother's family is dead." He said quietly, gripping Ichigo's shoulder. "I will show you how, if you want to learn how shinigami make love." That made Ichigo's breath catch.

"Yes, I… would like to learn." The hybrid said breathlessly and Byakuya caught his lips again. It was strange, but he thought the demon boy tasted sweet as honey. Ichigo tugged at his clothes and Byakuya pulled away briefly to be rid of them. He finished to find Ichigo was watching him, his eyes wide. "You're… so beautiful. And you want me?"

"You are beautiful too, Ichigo." He told the boy warmly and was pleased to see another blush. The kissed again and Byakuya reached down to stroke the boy's length. Then he blinked, as he tried to find Ichigo's sack and fumbled. _Where…?_ But then he was distracted as Ichigo copied his actions, running gentle fingers over his arousal. Then suddenly the hybrid was moving, lowering himself so his face was between Byakuya's legs.

"I know how to do this. Just have to be careful…" He murmured before taking Byakuya's swollen arousal into his mouth. Byakuya had to struggle not to thrust upwards into that delicious heat and suction. Ichigo did seem to know what he was doing, and slid up and down his length, sucking hard and exploring heavily with a hungry tongue. Byakuya bucked as the sensation assaulted his mind, undoing his control, but the hybrid was not distressed. Instead of pulling away, Ichigo took him into the back of his throat, holding down his hips with one hand. The heat and pressure of his tight throat was exquisite and Byakuya closed his eyes for a moment, overwhelmed by the sensations.

Just when he thought he might release, the hybrid pulled away, breathing heavily. Byakuya met his eyes and was pleased to see warmth and lust in those golden orbs. Ichigo moved up his body and spoke, huskily.

"I want this. For the first time in my life, I _want_ this." Byakuya's breath caught as Ichigo took him into himself in one smooth move. But there was something strange about his position, something not quite right. That concern was blotted out by the tight heat surrounding him, the way the hybrid began to rock his hips and the soft groan that came out of those beautiful lips.

"Ichigo." Byakuya murmured, watching the boy ride him as he thrust up into that glorious heat. The shadows rippled on that glorious body, giving him an almost surreal beauty. Then he pushed himself up with one elbow, pulling the boy down for another deep, pleasurable kiss.

"Byakuya." The demon boy's eyes seemed to glow with pleasure as he speeded his rocking and Byakuya responded by giving him more, thrusting into that tight, hot place with abandon. "Byakuya!" He moaned and Byakuya felt muscles ripple then tighten almost painfully around him. "Ah, yes!" Ichigo released, but there was surprisingly little semen. Byakuya spared no attention for that, as Ichigo's body sent him over the edge, the taunt muscles milking him for every drop of his own release.

They curled together then, hot and tired, and Byakuya whispered sweet nothings in his lover's ear. Ichigo stirred and gave him a sweet smile before giving him another kiss. And they fell asleep that way, tangled together and pleasantly sated.

Neither one of them was cold.

* * *

In the cold light of the next morning, Byakuya couldn't help but play over the encounter and wonder what had been wrong.

Something had been wrong or, perhaps, simply out of place. His mind worried on the problem as he glanced at the slumbering hybrid. He didn't want to ask Ichigo. He didn't want to give the boy any sense that he was not perfect, but something had –

_Master, I sense that you are troubled. Zakanata wants to speak to you. Could you come to our inner world?_ Senbonzakura said respectfully and Byakuya blinked before nodding.

"Yes, thank you." If the zanpakuto could explain what was not quite right, he was more than eager to hear. Sitting cross-legged on the hard stone, he meditated to allow himself entry to his inner world.

His inner world was a beautiful place, an elegant garden with many little waterfalls and beautiful streams. Normally he would have paused to enjoy the beauty, but Senbonzakura and Zakanata were waiting. He found the two spirits easily and was pleased to see that Zakanata was looking a bit better than he had during their last meeting. The spirit was still battered and bandaged, but there was less blood seeping through and his expression was almost cheerful.

"Hello Byakuya!" His eyes widened as the zanpakuto impulsively hugged him. "You've made our boy very happy! Isshin would have liked you. Just try not to hurt him, please? It's so hard when he's hurting." The spirit sounded like he was trying to joke, but the concern in his eyes was real. Byakuya patted him on the shoulder before pulling away.

"I will do my best to never hurt Ichigo." He said solemnly. "But there was something you wanted to tell me?" Zakanata looked at the ground before clearing his throat awkwardly. Senbonzakura just looked at his fellow zanpakuto, waiting for him to get past his discomfort.

"Um, yes. If you asked Ichigo, it might hurt him, so I will tell you. It's… it's a bit embarrassing, is all." Byakuya lifted his eyebrows. Embarrassing? "Every demon-shinigami hybrid has birth defects. That's why so many die… the demons just have to keep trying until they get one with a non-lethal defect, you see?"

"Hm?" Byakuya's mind spun back to Ichigo's flawless body. If there had been a defect, he couldn't find it. "What sort of birth defect?" He asked and saw the zanpakuto turn an unflattering shade of red.

"You see… you see… he's… not exactly a man." The two of them stared at Zakanata, who hurried to explain. "He's… I think the word is a hermaphrodite."

"He's _what?_" Senbonzakura exclaimed and Byakuya just stared at the flushing zanpakuto.

"Please explain." He commanded as he remembered being unable to find Ichigo's testes. He probably would have noticed something off sooner, but he wasn't in the habit of staring at other men's genitalia. Zakanata coughed and gamely continued his explanation.

"He has a penis – well, you saw that – but no testes and a functional vagina." Byakuya felt a kind of shock wrapping around his mind. This was… he'd never heard or dreamed of anything like this. "His secondary sexual characteristics are all male demon, though, and he identifies strongly as masculine. Really, the only difference it makes is that he doesn't need, um, lubrication." The zanpakuto stopped, smiling madly and clearly hoping Byakuya and Senbonzakura would be able to accept the information. Byakuya shook his head as his mind struggled to process the information. It was Senbonzakura who spoke first.

"You said he has a functional vagina. Does he have a womb as well? Can he have children?" The zanpakuto asked and Byakuya's breath caught. He hadn't thought of that complication. But Zakanata shook his head.

"He does, but his secondary sexual characteristics… male and female demons differ more than male and female shinigami. Fertile female demons are softer, so their bodies can expand to accommodate the child. Ichigo's skin is too hard, and he has bone plates to protect his organs. He can conceive, and if he does you'll see it in his reiatsu, but please don't mention it. He'll miscarry when the child doesn't have enough room to grow." Zakanata seemed saddened by the thought. "It usually takes about two months. He's been through so many…" Byakuya didn't even want to think about that. Instead, he bowed formally to the spirit.

"Thank you for telling me this. I would not have wanted to cause Ichigo more pain." He said sincerely. "Now, I should return to him before he leaves." Ichigo would be going soon. Zakanata nodded and his inner world quickly vanished.

Back in the cave, Byakuya looked down into the sleeping face of his new lover and wondered if it mattered. He'd never dreamed Ichigo might have such a birth defect and wasn't sure how he felt about it. After pondering it for several minutes, he lowered his head and brushed his lips against the sleeping boy's forehead.

"It doesn't matter. I care for you, Ichigo Kurosaki." He whispered. "And I love you just the way you are." He could feel a palpable relief from Senbonzakura and made a silent vow to himself.

He would not be the one to hurt Ichigo over this.

* * *

"Hsst, what a day." Byakuya looked up in surprise as Ichigo stepped back into the cave. It was much earlier than he had expected the hybrid to return. "Have you been outside?"

"No. I am trying to avoid it." He said carefully. After the disastrous accident with the kido, he was trying to avoid exposing Ichigo to any danger. "But I am nearly recovered. I should return to my Division soon." The new injuries he had taken hadn't helped, but he was almost ready. Ichigo grimaced, looking at the door to the cave.

"Well, not today. Come see." He said before stepping back outside and Byakuya followed. "See?" He followed Ichigo's pointing finger to the horizon and caught his breath. The sky was turning an ominous dark red. "Sandstorm coming in. We'll be safe enough here, but it will scour the desert. Not the sort of thing even a demon wants to get caught outside in."

"A sandstorm could hurt a demon?" Byakuya asked. He knew of sandstorms, although he'd never seen one, and knew they were dangerous. But Ichigo seemed to be describing something beyond that.

"Oh yes. I don't know what kind of sandstorms they have where you come from, but anyone foolish enough to be caught in it will be flayed to the bone." Ichigo said casually and Byakuya's eyes widened as he thought of the danger. "It's not really a problem though. We just burrow deep into the sand and hibernate until it passes over. You have to be stupid or locked up in a conflict to be caught out in it. A strong demon can survive that, although it's among the least pleasant experiences we can have." Ichigo's eyes went chilly as he thought about a long ago memory. "Some demon lords will stake someone out right before a sandstorm comes in, as a form of punishment." Then he blinked as he saw Byakuya's expression. "Is something wrong?"

"Excuse me." Byakuya began summoning hell butterfly after hell butterfly, spending his strength recklessly to send messages to every single taichou and fukutaichou. Ichigo watched, eyes wide, as he repeated the same warning to all of them. Finally done, he sent a last hell butterfly to Yamamoto with the same information.

"Oh. They wouldn't know it's dangerous?" He said and Byakuya nodded, feeling a bit light headed. Sending that many hell butterflies all at once was a strain.

"Soul Society has very few deserts but in the few we do have, a sandstorm would not be a great difficulty." He told Ichigo, who bit his lip and nodded.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. It never occurred to me. Hey… you're just about better, right?" He asked and Byakuya blinked before nodding. "If you're willing to let me carry you, I can try to outrun the storm." Ichigo gazed at the horizon critically and nodded. "Yes, I'm sure I would make it. Do you want to?" Byakuya thought for a moment and nodded. It was possible that a hell butterfly could go astray, or a demon could intercept it.

"Please. We need to make sure the base camp is evacuated." If the storms could tear the flesh from a demon, they would make short work of a shinigami. He gripped Ichigo's shoulders as the hybrid picked him up, bridal style. Then he dove off the cliff and Byakuya had to fight with his stomach as black wings unfurled and stopped the fall, shooting them high into the air. The wings pumped but he could sense it was more Ichigo's spiritual energy at work, forcing them to insane speeds. The sand flashed by underneath them, but he was able to look over Ichigo's shoulder and see the approaching storm. It was moving fast.

They would just have to arrive in time.


	4. Way of Damnation

Of course, arriving was only the first part.

The second was to stop the immediate attack on Ichigo. But after a few blasts of kido, someone noticed Byakuya and realized who the demon boy had to be. After that there was a lot of shouting, but they were allowed to land at the base camp. Byakuya could immediately see that his message had gotten through. They were trying hard to get everyone through the rift, but there were sounds of distant conflict.

"Taichou!" Byakuya hadn't imagined he could feel so happy, but when Renji and Rukia ran up to him he felt like his heart might burst. They were both alive, although Rukia had a broken arm in a sling. "We were so worried about you! Are you okay?" Renji kept a wary eye on Ichigo, who was looking towards the fighting and scowling. Byakuya smiled slightly at the concern.

"I am fine, Renji. You got my messages?" From the looks of it they definitely had, but he wanted to confirm. Renji nodded but looked distressed.

"Everyone except the 11th Division has reported in and is moving out. We haven't heard anything from them." Byakuya closed his eyes for a moment. But there was nothing to be done. They would just have to hope Zaraki could accomplish a miracle. He always seemed to survive, so it was possible. "Hitsugaya Taichou and Kyoraku Taichou are holding off a demon on the East side so we can retreat." That was the sounds of combat he was hearing.

"There is no way they're going to defeat him before the sandstorm gets here." Ichigo said and they all looked at him. "I recognize the stench. That's Ryokoru, he's ancient and just below a demon lord in power. I'll go take him on so you can get them out."

"What about you?" Byakuya asked and Ichigo paused, glancing back at him with laughter in his eyes.

"Oh, I can survive a sandstorm. I'll _wish_ I could die, but it'll hardly be the first time for that. If I don't make it through the rift, you'll just have to dig me out when you get back. Can you tell them to move out while I grab Ryo?" Byakuya nodded and followed closely as Ichigo launched himself into the sky.

When they arrived at the battlefield, Ichigo went straight up. Byakuya paused, wondering what he was doing as he watched the fight. Hitsugaya and Kyoraku were giving the demon a hard time, but he was giving back as much as he was getting. This demon was pitch black in color, with fiery red hair. Byakuya frowned as he realized that many demons seemed to have red hair. Perhaps that explained why red hair had once been considered unlucky. Then he saw Ichigo begin to dive.

The demon sensed danger and looked up, throwing up his sword just before the hybrid hit. The impact still sent him down into the sands, throwing up an immense cloud of dust. Ichigo followed his strike with several blasts from his zanpakuto as Byakuya quickly flash stepped beside the two captains.

"He is going to fight the demon for us. We need to evacuate." He glanced at the approaching dust storm. It was close now, so close that he could see the wave front of destruction.

"What about him?" Kyoraku asked and Byakuya was pleased to hear the concern in his voice. It seemed Ichigo's help had earned him some goodwill with the taichou.

"He'll survive, but we won't if we stay." Byakuya glanced over to see Ichigo frowning as he looked at the ground. Then a blast of red light flew up at him, and he didn't quite manage to dodge it. Blood flew from his chest and shoulder as it shredded his armor and then the black demon was on him, his hand over Ichigo's face as he dove down and slammed the boy into the sand. "Scatter, Senbonzakura." He said quietly and sent the petals after the demon.

"Wait, aren't you coming too?" Hitsugaya asked as the petals struck the black demon in the back and made him scream.

"There is some time." He said, glancing at the horizon. Although there wasn't much. "Now go!" He ordered sharply and, clearly wondering if was the right thing to do, his fellow taichou's left for the rift. The black demon tossed a bolt of dark force at him, which Byakuya was forced the block with his sword, pushing him back. Ichigo screamed and launched a flurry of blows on the demon, who blocked them as he laughed mockingly. And the storm came closer.

But the demon was aware of that as well, and his anger was obvious as he forced Ichigo to back up, step by step, as he was forced to counter Senbonzakura at every turn. Finally he threw his sword into the air and screamed.

"Fuck you both! It's not worth it anymore! Let me dig into the sand and you can both go!" The wind was rising and Byakuya flinched as sand stung his eyes.

"Deal!" Ichigo screamed. "You go first, we don't trust you!" And the black demon immediately began to dig into a sand dune as Ichigo and Byakuya both flash stepped towards the rift. The camp was empty, and the tents were beginning to blow away as the wind rose to a howl.

Byakuya burst through the gate, his skin stinging and burning but still intact. Ichigo followed a moment later, gasping and coughing up sand. He turned to look back at the rift, and saw the storm tear away and shred tents just before all sight of the camp was obscured. Fortunately, nothing came through the rift but a scatter of red sand.

"Oh." That strange tone dragged his attention back to Ichigo. He was looking at the ground, lips parted in amazement. "It's _green_." The boy looked up then and looked around, eyes wide as he saw the trees. "What are they? What –" Then his face went dead white and Byakuya took a step towards him as they both heard the crack. "Noooooooo!" The wail rose over the hum of conversation and shinigami turned to see what was wrong as the sword in Ichigo's hand began to shatter. "Zakanata! Don't go! Don't leave me! Zakanata! _Zakanata!_"

"Senbonzakura, what is happening?" Byakuya muttered as he gripped Ichigo's shoulders. Tears were running down the hybrid's face as he tried to gather the shattered remains of his sword, but they slipped away, breaking into smaller and smaller pieces.

_Zakanata has fulfilled his final oath, to see Ichigo arrive in Soul Society. It is time for him to depart, Master. _Byakuya grit his teeth. He knew it was necessary. Zakanata was not truly Ichigo's sword and never would be. But did it have to be like this? So abruptly, in front of everyone? The last of the sword vanished and Ichigo buried his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking with the force of his pain.

Then he caught his breath as a spark of blue light touched Ichigo's cheek. The hybrid looked up, his eyes wide, as the spark began to expand and solidify. Everyone watched as a sword began to form, but larger than any other zanpakuto that Byakuya had seen. In fact, it looked like a shikai. Ichigo reached out dreamily and took the black fabric bound hilt, looking at the sword. The blue light finally died away and it was a normal, if oversized zanpakuto.

"…Zangetsu?" Ichigo asked softly as he gazed into the surface of the blade. Then his eyes rolled back into his head and Byakuya had to catch him as the hybrid began to fall. Byakuya lowered him to the ground and looked up as Unohana knelt beside him. She quickly checked his vitals, pausing several times as she tried to assess the demonic power within him.

"It's just shock, I think. Losing his zanpakuto and gaining a new one must have been difficult for his soul. I wonder why his own zanpakuto did not come earlier?" She murmured and Byakuya instantly knew the answer. The zanpakuto could not penetrate _Hi-Vikir-Stei_, so it had been impossible for Ichigo's true zanpakuto to come to him. Now he understood why Zakanata had chosen to honor Isshin's request. The lack of a zanpakuto would have been a dangerous chink in the armor of Ichigo's soul. "He just needs sleep and food to recover."

"But what should we do with him?" Someone said and Byakuya raised his face, glaring as he tried to find the owner of the voice. "He's a demon." There were mutters of agreement and Byakuya could smell the fear rising. Sadness and anger filled him as he realized that many would prefer to see Ichigo safely dead than alive in the camp.

"Hey, if it weren't for that demon I wouldn't be standing here!" One older man, heavily bandaged and leaning on a cane, said very loudly. "Besides, he's half-shinigami. Leave him alone." That started to turn the mob's mood as several people chimed in with similar stories. Byakuya heard Renji's voice and began to relax. He was sure his fukutaichou and his sister could handle the crowd much better than he could. Then the captains began to break things up, giving orders to set up new tents and begin turning this into the new base camp.

"That actually went fairly well." Byakuya said quietly to Unohana, who nodded, expressionless. He suddenly wondered how she felt about Ichigo, but he wasn't going to ask. "Is the infirmary up yet?"

"Nothing is up yet, I'm afraid. We were more concerned with getting the equipment through the gate. But he doesn't need to be under our care, so any tent should do." She said and Byakuya nodded, standing and carrying Ichigo. The hybrid was really quite heavy, but he did his best not to let the strain show in his face.

"Taichou?" Byakuya turned to see Renji. He was rubbing the back of his head and looking at the unconscious Ichigo. "I can help you set up a tent, if you want."

"Thank you, Renji. I would be grateful." He said as they walked to an open part of the field, and grabbed an unused canvas bag. "How has the Division been in my absence?" He asked as he set Ichigo down on the trampled grass.

"Not too good, although I don't know how much it would have helped if you were there." Renji said and Byakuya shook his head. His fukutaichou was trying to spare his feelings. "Those demons are just bastards, pardon my language taichou."

"Casualties?" He asked and Renji took a deep breath before running over the totals. It wasn't good, but it was not as bad as he had feared. "Mmm. It could have been worse, I suppose." Actually, there was no could have been about it. If Ichigo hadn't casually warned him about the properties of the storm, the entire Division could have been lost.

"It would have been worse if it wasn't for your pet demon. Um, he's under control right?" Renji cast Ichigo a nervous glance as Byakuya felt his temper flare. "Because he's really scary when he's awake."

"You know nothing about what you are talking about." Byakuya said in a calm and dangerous tone. Renji's eyes widened as he realized his taichou was really angry at him. "He is not a pet, he is his own person, and he does not belong to me. Do not speak about him that way again."

"Sorry taichou! I'm setting up the tent for you, right?" Renji said as he energetically nailed in a peg. Byakuya looked at him for a moment, then shook his head in exasperation and grabbed a tent peg.

"Very badly. Pull that tighter." With his help, the tent went up well and quickly. "It's fine Renji. I understand that Ichigo was a bit of a shock to you. But please, he has feelings and can be hurt. I want you to remind people of that." Renji had defended Ichigo earlier, so he was inclined to be lenient for now. Renji nodded.

"Yes taichou. I'll mention it to Rukia too, I think she plans to come by and say thank you later." He promised and Byakuya smiled, a touch sadly, as he thought of his sister. That was a very kind thing for her to do, but he wondered how she and Ichigo would get along in the long term. He was going to need a lot of work to fit into Soul Society and it would be up to them to prepare him. Did Ichigo even know how to read? And if he did, did he read their language?

Pushing those questions out of mind, Byakuya moved the boy into the tent and considered him for a moment. Ichigo wouldn't care, but he should have clothes. Underthings at least. That decided, Byakuya left to find some items for him.

He couldn't stay with the hybrid until he awoke, there were too many things to do. But he wanted Ichigo to feel cared for.

* * *

"Nggh." Ichigo groaned softly, blinking his eyes. "Zakanata?" His heart lurched and he sat up abruptly as he remembered what had happened to his zanpakuto. Had that been a dream?

_No._ The voice was faint but unfamiliar and Ichigo froze as he saw the new sword. It was much bigger than his old one, but when he gripped the hilt, it seemed to fit him better. _I am Zangetsu._

"Zangetsu." Ichigo whispered, running a finger down the fine metal. He could see his face reflected in it, it was so pure and unmarred. Nothing like Zakanata's crazed and cracked surface. "What happened to Zakanata?" He'd never been able to hear the zanpakuto well, and Ichigo knew this weapon was a better fit for his soul, but the loss still stung and he felt tears rise up in his eyes. The black sword had been the only legacy of his father.

_He has gone to be with your father._ That answer made him stop breathing for a moment. Then Ichigo sniffed and rubbed his eyes, finding a smile in his heart.

"Well, that's good. I know he wanted to be with father." And it eased his sorrow, knowing that his father's zanpakuto was happy at last. He stood up, feeling tired and hungry. Glancing around, he found he was in a strange shelter made out of flimsy fabric. "Hm." There was also another pile of fabric in the room that reminded him of Byakuya's clothes. Did they want him to wear this? Deciding they probably did, he stripped off his armor and opened the pile of cloth. "I can't wear my armor with this. But… I suppose it's safe here." Not having his armor gave Ichigo an itchy feeling between his shoulder blades, but he supposed that was something he should get over. It took him a while to figure out how to fasten everything, but he had memories of Byakuya undressing to help him with it. When he was done he held up Zangetsu, looking at himself in the surface of the blade. "I look like a shinigami." Leaving aside the golden eyes, he did look like he would fit in. The marks on his cheek weren't too unusual. Slinging the sword over his shoulder, he walked out of the shelter and looked around.

The first thing that caught his eye was the other people. Shinigami were everywhere, talking, setting up equipment, eating, drinking… it reminded him a little of a demon hive. One man, wearing the same sort of clothing that Byakuya had, was bowed to as he passed. That reminded Ichigo of the deference lesser demons showed to higher ones, although without the trembling terror. Or perhaps these shinigami were close enough in strength that terror was not called for. How many gradations of power were there? Ichigo's stomach contracted, hard, and he winced. All this speculation could wait until he found something to eat.

But what could he eat here? Ichigo wandered around disconsolately for a while, and no one seemed to recognize him. Perhaps it was the clothing, and Ichigo was being careful to avoid meeting anyone's eyes. Then his nose twitched as he smelled something interesting. Could that be food?

"It's worth a try." He muttered to himself and headed towards the smell. It smelled like nothing he'd ever sniffed before, but he could tell there was meat in it and it smelled _delicious._ He finally found a man sitting at a table and cooking some strange looking white things over a grill. Demons rarely cooked things – there wasn't much to be used for fire – but they did sometimes use their focus abilities to kill their enemies with fire, so it wasn't a huge stretch to eat a singed corpse. But he hung back, uncertainly. He recognized this man, with the strange pink overcoat and the straw hat. He'd been fighting Ryokoru and doing a good job of it before Ichigo and Byakuya had arrived. The man looked up and Ichigo saw he had a bearded face and kind brown eyes. His smile was just as kind, and he gestured to the seat across from him.

"Hello. Are you looking for some food?" He asked and Ichigo smiled back tentatively as his stomach growled loudly. The man's smile widened at the sound. "Here, try a pork bun."

"Pork bun?" Ichigo murmured but decided he didn't care what it was, he just wanted some food in his stomach. The man poured him something to drink in a very tiny glass and Ichigo sniffed it carefully before taking a sip. It was alcohol, but that was nothing new to him. Demon lords brewed it out of some kind of fungi. This was actually much better, smoother and sweeter. "Mmm." He murmured appreciatively.

"You like the sake? Here you go, I think this one is done." The man slipped a pork bun onto a plate and passed it over. Ichigo normally would have torn in like a ravenous beast, but the bun was very small compared to a demon heart. He tried to make it last, licking his fingers and then the plate when it was done. "You are very hungry, eh? But I have plenty more." A second bun was popped onto his plate and Ichigo smiled gratefully.

"Thank you. Fighting and using focus takes it out of me. Normally I'd hunt down something to eat, but this actually seems to be working pretty well." It wasn't as good as another demon, Ichigo could tell that, but it was definitely filling the aching hole in his belly and he could feel his energy starting to rise. "I'm sorry, I forget… what is your name?" He asked shyly and the man smiled again as he sipped his sake.

"I'm Kyoraku Shunsui." Ichigo nodded, devouring his second bun more slowly. Shunsui watched as he finished every crumb. "Another?"

"I can't eat them all." Ichigo protested, looking at the grill. There were only two left. "Don't you need them?" It was terribly unmannerly to hog all the food, and with demons that kind of lack of manners could end with the lout involved becoming food. Shunsui laughed and picked up a small bag beside him.

"I can always put on more." Suiting actions to words, he removed the two done buns and placed another four onto the grill. He passed a third to Ichigo while keeping the final cooked bun for himself. "See? There's no shortage of buns here."

"Oh, good." Ichigo said in relief, then decided to ask a question. "Should I call you Kyoraku, or Shunsui?" He wasn't sure how these people said their names, and what was appropriate. Shunsui smiled again before answering.

"Kyoraku is my family name, so it is more formal. You can call me Shunsui, Ichigo." Ichigo nodded, unsurprised that the shinigami remembered his name. It wasn't like there could be two demon hybrids in camp, and the man had probably recognized his eyes from the start. "You don't mind if I call you Ichigo, do you?"

"Oh no." Ichigo said, surprised. "I don't even know if I should call myself Kurosaki. Father died so long ago, no one might even remember him. I don't know if the Kurosaki clan would accept me." He rather doubted they would. Why should they take in a half-demon cub that their clan member had been tortured to create? Shunsui bowed his head for a moment.

"That is a sad thing. Do you have any family, Ichigo?" Ichigo shook his head, his mouth full. He might have resented the questions, but Shunsui was feeding him. That bought a lot of tolerance right now.

"You're clothes are pretty." He said to distract the man, but also because it was true. "Some qwii birds have that color, but what are the things on it?" He pointed to the odd patterns on the kimono. Shunsui gave him a tolerant smile.

"Those are flowers." He answered and Ichigo's breath caught in his throat as he leaned forward, suddenly intent on the pink fabric.

"Flowers? Byakuya said he would show me flowers." His eyes locked on the patterns, not noticing Shunsui's surprise and momentary discomfort at the intense attention. "Do they look like that?" The flat images had to be different from reality.

"Ah, well, these are pansies. Every flower is different, you know." Shunsui said lightly. Ichigo shook his head, sipping his sake.

"I don't know. I've never seen flowers." He said frankly and the shinigami dropped his eyes to his drink for a moment.

"That is also a sad thing." There was a brief silence as they both ate their buns. Ichigo finished his off and licked the plate again, to catch any stray crumbs. But the edge had been taken off his hunger and he declined another bun. He really couldn't be that greedy. "What do you intend to do now, Ichigo?" Shunsui asked and Ichigo hesitated. He was fed, and the alcohol was perking pleasantly in his stomach. What did he want to do now?

"I want to explore." He said, glancing around the camp. "I want to… to see how shinigami treat each other. And I want to see what those – those things around us are." He gestured vaguely and Shunsui followed the motion, puzzled. "The green things, that go so high." He didn't know what they were called.

"The trees?" Shunsui said, then laughed. "Ah, of course, you have never seen a tree. Yes, go look at the trees Ichigo. Nature is a beautiful thing, and there will be no danger for you there." Ichigo nodded and finished his sake before standing. He would go to look at the trees.

"Thank you for the food, and for showing me some flowers." It might not be quite the same as real ones, but now he knew pansies. That was something and Ichigo was pleased to have been able to see them.

"It was nothing." Shunsui watched Ichigo walk away, then smiled into his sake. "I can see why Byakuya likes him. So strange yet so innocent. I hope it works out for him." Then he shrugged and ate another pork bun. Whether it would or could work out was not up to him.

Ichigo walked towards the trees, but he was distracted by voices, then a flash of power. He hesitated at the feeling. It was like a demon's focus, yet unlike. Was this the shinigami equivalent of focus? Instead of walking into the trees, he headed across the clearing, drawn towards the power flares. What were the shinigami doing?

When he arrived, he understood. They had set up targets and two young shinigami were practicing their focus skills on them. Ichigo watched them, listening to the words. They were similar to the words a demon would speak, but not the same.

"Way of Destruction 5: Single Scimitar!" Ichigo blinked as a blade appeared and pounded on the target. He could tell it wasn't very powerful though.

"Way of Destruction 32: Yellow Fire Flash!" Ichigo was more impressed with that, as a flash of yellow light incinerated a target. That was the kind of spell a moderately powerful demon might use. The man who fired it paused to rest, and noticed him standing there. "Hey, are you looking to practice?"

"Maybe." Ichigo said carefully. He wasn't sure he should be showing these shinigami his power. But then, the important ones already knew how dangerous he could be. "What exactly are you practicing?" He was sure they didn't call it focus, and he wanted the shinigami name for it. The man looked at him, surprised, and the second spoke up.

"What, are you stupid? It's kido, of course!" Ichigo bristled slightly at the insult then blinked as the first man slapped the second on the shoulder.

"Karo, show some respect! He may have a head injury." The man said and Ichigo considered correcting him, but decided to hold off. It was a good excuse. "I'm Hisagi Shuhei. This lump is Karo Obsectro, and I'm attempted to train him in kido." Shuhei looked directly into Ichigo's face and while he tried to avoid meeting the man's eyes, he wasn't fast enough. "You! You're that demon hybrid Byakuya brought back with him, aren't you?"

"I am." He admitted. "Kurosaki Ichigo." From what he'd learned, these shinigami put the family name first. "But please, call me Ichigo." He met Shuhei's eyes, afraid the shinigami would tell him to go away. But the man was looking at him intently. His companion seemed frozen in fear.

"I've seen demons use something like kido. You can tell us about it, and show us." He said and Ichigo considered it a moment before nodding. He wanted to help the shinigami, and knowing what they're enemy could and could not do would definitely help them.

"You want me to tell you?" At Shuhei's nod, Ichigo arranged his thoughts. "Okay. First, we call it focus, not kido. It's called that because you focus the power inside yourself through the words. A really, really good focus user doesn't even need the words. But very few demons are old enough for that kind of control." Ryokoru could do that, which was what made him very dangerous. Ichigo was almost glad the dust storm had convinced the old demon to end the fight. A loss was definitely possible against someone that old and canny. "We have four different paths of focus. We have the Way of Suffering, the Way of Entrapment, the Way of Damnation and the Way of Mercy." Both the shinigami blinked at the last one.

"Mercy?" Shuhei said cautiously and Ichigo nodded. It seemed strange, but demons did have some use for that path.

"That's the supportive and healing abilities. Demons do have allies and minions that they sometimes want to strengthen or heal." He explained and the two shinigami nodded, although Ichigo thought that only Shuhei was likely to remember. "The Way of Suffering is, well, torture spells. If a demon uses one in combat on you, either he thinks you're already done for or he's just not taking you seriously." Shuhei's lips tightened and Ichigo wondered if he'd already been the recipient of such a focus. "Way of Entrapment is offensive spells that bind, illusions and sleep. Way of Damnation is the real combat spells. If a demon is using those, he's taking you seriously."

"I see. Kido has only two ways, the Way of Destruction and the Way of Binding. But we don't use incantations for healing. Could you demonstrate some of these demon ways for us, so we can get a feel for them?" Ichigo nodded. He really wanted to practice anyway, and he liked Shuhei. He only hoped the feeling wasn't misplaced.

"Why not?" He said amiably, then stood in front of one of the targets. "Way of Suffering 26: A Hundred Knives!" Blades suddenly appeared around the target, circling and slashing. At a mental command, they dove directly into the target, impaling it with their sharpness. "Want to see the Way of Mercy next? It requires one of you volunteer." The Way of Mercy was all about strengthening and healing. Shuhei frowned but nodded.

"I will volunteer." He stood steady and proud as Ichigo walked over, putting a hand over his heart. Their eyes met as Ichigo spoke.

"Way of Mercy 15: My Heart to Yours." Shuhei's eyes widened as a pulse of energy travelled between them. It was small, befitting such a low ranking spell, and Ichigo was careful to make sure it was only shinigami energy exchanged. But the power the man had used on his earlier kido would be restored.

"That is an interesting phrasing. Do demons know love?" He asked as Ichigo stepped back. The hybrid shook his head.

"No. But demons invest a lot of power in their hearts, so sharing that power is a allowing a vulnerability. It's generally only done with trusted minions. I'll show you Entrapment next." Ichigo was saving Damnation for last. He was considering showing off. That was his best focus, and he had one particular focus he was determined to master. "Way of Entrapment 43: Spider's Venom Web!" Sticky webbing shot from his hand and enveloped the target, causing it to smoke as the acidic venom bit into the straw. "That's a pretty nasty one. There are nastier, though." Ichigo knew all about those. Shuhei nodded, watching intently. "Now, um… Damnation focus is actually my strong point. There's one particular focus I'm trying to perfect, but it can backfire. Do you mind me trying it? You'll have to stand back." He cautioned them. The younger one was already moving away, but Shuhei was made of sterner stuff. He frowned at Ichigo.

"How strong a spell are you considering?" He asked suspiciously. Ichigo hesitated before giving him a sheepish grin.

"Level 96." Shuhei looked stunned and Ichigo continued, slightly defensive. "It's the kind of spell that only a demon lord can do, but my power can surpass some demon lords. What I showed you in Entrapment and Suffering is about my limit, but I'm good with Damnation."

"Well, if you want to, it might be worth seeing. How far back should we go?" Shuhei asked and Ichigo judged the distances.

"That rock over there should be fine. Backlash is pretty focused." He pointed to a rock and both of them quickly went to it. "Good, just stay there." Ichigo turned back to the target and began summoning his inner energy. This would take a good chunk of it, but he really wanted to master this focus. He practiced it almost every day.

It was a focus dear to his heart, because he'd used it on his mother's family. He could still remember how his demon lord matriarch had screamed like a soul in hell before Gilshratz had torn out her heart and eaten it. He could never have managed it without Ichigo's help, and Ichigo couldn't have killed the bitch forever without him. So Ichigo had a soft spot for the demon lord, and also for this particular focus, despite how erratic it could be. He was determined to bend it to his will.

"Way of Damnation 96: Oblivion Sphere." He said, his voice echoing through the suddenly dead quiet clearing. Everything seemed to become muted, the sounds of the camp, the sounds of the forest, as a sphere of utter darkness shot with red light began to take shape. "You are mine." Ichigo's eyes narrowed as the sphere pulsed. If he lost control, it would explode outward, searing his body. He would be fine in an hour or two, but it would be incredibly painful. "Mine!" He exerted all his will to the task and the sphere spun crazily, reacting to his power and pressure. Suddenly, red spears of light appeared and Ichigo knew that he had it. Dozens of spears slotted into the orb and pulsed with a baleful light as the orb spun faster and faster, contracting in a motion that would make anyone inside scream in agony and terror, just like his demon lord had screamed. Then it detonated.

Wind whipped out, lashing the trees and sending dust into Ichigo's face as everything in the orb was destroyed, torn into a thousand shreds of straw and wood. What that orb did to flesh was unspeakable, but there had been enough left for Gilshratz to devour. Satisfied and feeling hungry again, Ichigo turned from his work to see Shuhei staring at him with something like fear on his face. The boy behind him was cowering and whimpering.

"Ah, don't be so scared. That's a demon lord spell, and your taichou's will have to deal with that, eh?" Ichigo said lightly but Shuhei didn't seem at all reassured. The hybrid realized the fear was directed at him. "And I'm on your side. Right?" Ichigo stepped forward then stopped as the man took a step back. "Um…" Ichigo bit his lip, realizing that practicing his greatest focus had probably not been a good idea. Shuhei was definitely freaked out.

"You… what do you want? With power like that…" Shuhei said hoarsely and Ichigo blinked at him. What did he want?

"I want a friend." He said softly and saw Shuhei's eyes widen in disbelief then narrow in speculation. "Demons don't have friends, just allies, enemies and minions. Could we be friends, Hisagi Shuhei?" His use of the full name was deliberate. This was a moment for formality, and he offered his hand to the shinigami. Shuhei hesitated a moment then nodded slowly, taking his hand.

"I think we can, Ichigo." Then he laughed. "I would much rather have you as a friend than an enemy!" He squeezed the hybrid's hand with a smile, and Ichigo smiled back, pleased. Shuhei was made of much sterner stuff than his trainee.

"Thanks." He said simply, glancing back at the camp. They would have been able to sense his little spiritual bomb, but no one seemed to be coming to investigate. "Can you show me kido now? I have a shinigami side, so I could probably learn it." He wasn't sure it would be any better than focus, but it would be different. Just that could help. Shuhei nodded.

"Karo, snap out of it and get over here!" He ordered. The kid was still blubbering and Ichigo sighed to himself, making a mental note not to practice that focus for a while.

At least he'd made another friend.


	5. Sand in my Shorts

Byakuya's heart was heavy as he flash stepped through the trees.

Everyone had felt the explosion, of course. It was like kido, yet not quite the same, and disturbingly powerful. Soutaichou had quickly gathered several of the taichou and informed them of what he wanted to do. Byakuya hated it, and several of the taichou had been opposed, but others had favored this course. He only hoped Ichigo would understand.

His heart dropped further as he heard the laughter and saw the little practice field. Shuhei was showing Ichigo kido, and the hybrid seemed to be getting the hang of it. He fired a shot of white lightning before stepping back, shaking his head.

"I'm tired! Do you have any food?" He asked the shinigami, who pulled something out of his pocket.

"I have a bit of beef jerky – uh, taichou?" He said uncertainly as Byakuya flashed stepped into view. He was followed closely by three other taichou, and then Yamamoto. "Soutaichou!" Shuhei bowed as Ichigo looked around, wide-eyed. The demon hybrid tried to sidle behind Shuhei, bumping into his other trainee, who was attempting to do the same thing.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." Yamamoto's old, wise and not entirely unkind eyes bored into the demon boy. His expression was stern, however. "Your power is too great for you to walk about unsupervised. But I am not certain even one of my taichou's could contain you. So I ask that you wear a seki-seki collar as long as you remain in our camp." Byakuya saw Ichigo pale at the mention of seki-seki, and wondered if the demons had it in their endless desert.

"But that's… but I… what did I do to you?" Ichigo sounded bewildered. Golden eyes sought out his and Byakuya met them calmly, despite his pain at the betrayal on Ichigo's face. "I was just practicing. I wouldn't hurt anyone."

"This collar is to ensure you cannot hurt anyone." Yamamoto said solemnly. Soifon stepped forward, holding the heavy stone and Ichigo paled even more before swallowing. He glanced around the circle before stepping out from behind Shuhei.

"Is this a test?" He asked, meeting Yamamoto's gaze. "If I wear it, will you let me join your hive?" Byakuya frowned to himself. Ichigo was trying to put this into demon terms, to help him understand. But the situation was entirely different than anything in the demon sands.

"We do not have hives as demons do. But if you wear this, if you prove your sincerity, you will be taking the first step to becoming a shinigami." Yamamoto told the boy and Ichigo swallowed hard, clearly thinking about it.

"For how long?" He asked and Yamamoto frowned at him.

"Until the dust storm is over, and we return to the demon world." He said and Ichigo nodded, his eyes taking on that chill Byakuya so hated to see.

"Three days at the most, then." He said to himself and nodded again before looking at Yamamoto again. "To prove my strength and conviction, I will wear that collar for as long as it takes the sandstorm to pass." His tone was expressionless and his eyes were cold and distant. Byakuya felt a shiver down his spine as he recalled how Ichigo had spoken to the demons before letting them torture and use him. This was the same attitude as before. But why? _Why is he acting like we are going to hurt him?_ The seki-seki stone was merely uncomfortable.

He considered saying something, but hadn't decided what when Soifon snapped the collar into place. Ichigo's entire body went stiff as a board and his knuckles were white as he clenched his hands into fists. Byakuya stared as Ichigo bit his lip so hard that blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. The hybrid's eyes were wide and staring, but then he blinked and took a deep breath, his muscles relaxing slightly.

"I have it." Ichigo said softly, to himself. "Yes. Accept it. It is part of you. I can do this." Everyone was watching the hybrid but Hitsugaya, who was looking around and frowning.

"Is something burning?" He asked and Byakuya blinked as he realized he could smell smoke, as well. He frowned as the scent began to turn more foul, like rotten eggs and wood smoke.

"His clothing is on fire!" Shuhei suddenly exclaimed and everyone's eyes snapped back to Ichigo. Byakuya's stomach clenched as he saw the cloth beneath the seki-seki stone collar was smoldering. "It's the collar! Get it off him!"

"Soutachoi?" Soifon asked as she touched the collar, then jerked her hand back with a gasp. "It's burning!" Ichigo blinked, turning his head to look at her as she tried to release the collar. But she couldn't get a grip on the hot stone and metal.

"Remove it from him, quickly!" Yamamoto ordered, and Byakuya yanked off his haori, tossing it to Soifon. She caught the fabric and used it to shield her hands as she undid the clasp of the collar. It fell away to hit the ground at Ichigo's feet, and the grass immediately began to smolder. But that was nothing compared to the red meat and black char on Ichigo's throat and shoulders. The boy didn't seem to even notice the absence of the collar, but he did blink when Byakuya grabbed one shoulder, and Shunsui gripped the other.

"My stars. Sit down, child." Shunsui said, his tone gentle with an edge of shock. Ichigo blinked and shook his head, and the black charred spots on his throat cracked, weeping a clear liquid that smelled like rotten eggs.

"I'm fine. Why did you take it off? I was ready for the test." He sounded so calm and his eyes still had that hideously distant quality. "I can do three days. I'm good at this sort of thing."

"It wasn't a test!" Byakuya snapped at him and Ichigo blinked. He felt a great relief as those gold eyes really focused on him, regaining a bit of their spark. "Why didn't you tell us the collar would catch fire?" Ichigo hesitated, confused, and glanced around at everyone. Even Soifon was looking appalled and guilty at what they had accidentally done. Yamamoto was hard to read, but Byakuya didn't think he was the least bit happy about how things had turned out.

"I thought you knew." He finally said, his voice catching strangely at the end. "I thought… a test of my endurance, my power. Only a strong demon can survive seki-seki for three days. Doesn't it work that way for shinigami?" Byakuya couldn't believe he was still talking. The flesh was not rebuilding as fast as it had when Ichigo had given himself to the demons. The hybrid suddenly gripped his stomach, bending over. "Oh… ow. I need some food. I'm so drained now. Pork buns?" He asked Shunsui, who glanced at Yamamoto. The old man took a deep breath.

"Take him away and feed him. We will have to think of something else, this is inhumane." He stepped forward to stand in front of Ichigo. "I am sorry. Seki-seki is only uncomfortable for a shinigami to wear, and it prevents the use of kido. I did not know it was different for demons." Ichigo just blinked, looking a bit speechless, and Byakuya wondered if the boy was in shock. "Byakuya, Shunsui, stay with him for now."

"Yes Soutaichou." Byakuya paused to collect his slightly scorched haori from Soifon before helping Ichigo walk. Or at least, trying to. The hybrid wasn't accepting much help and seemed fully capable of moving despite his ghastly injuries. If Byakuya hadn't known better, he'd have thought Ichigo didn't feel them. But he was grimly certain the hybrid was just very good at ignoring pain. "You can lean on me, Ichigo." He said softly and was rewarded with a small smile and a glitter of appreciation in those golden eyes.

"That's sweet, but I'm fine really. It's mostly surface damage." Ichigo made a face. "If it were deep damage, I wouldn't be talking." Byakuya shook his head. Ichigo's definition of deep damage would be near lethal to a shinigami. "I just really want pork buns so I can start to heal this. I never should have used that focus." He said to himself and Byakuya nodded. That had been a tremendous mistake.

He was aware of the stares and whispers as they escorted the hybrid to Shunsui's little grill, but he couldn't really blame the gawkers. A man in Ichigo's condition shouldn't have been able to stand, let alone walk. As they reached the grill Shunsui quickly lit it and set out some more buns. Ichigo watched them hungrily then looked up in surprise as Shuhei dashed over, a plate of meat in hand.

"I got this from the 1st, someone managed to catch a wild pig. It's still a bit raw but I figured that would be okay for a demon?" He said, handing Ichigo the plate. The demon boy tore into it ravenously, obviously not caring a bit if it was undercooked.

"That will be fine. Perfect, in fact. From what I saw, demons almost always eat their food raw." Byakuya assured Shuhei, who looked relieved. He definitely didn't want to poison his new friend. "And they eat only meat, so this might be even better than pork buns." The buns were nice, but they were largely flour with a bit of savory pork mix in the centre.

But even with the addition of the meat, it took nine pork buns before Ichigo's throat began to really heal. The hybrid leaned back in his chair, eyes half closed and sleepy, as the flesh slowly mended and the charred spots sloughed off with a bit more of that vile liquid. Ichigo seemed to fall asleep then, his head propped against the back of the chair.

"Will he hate us for this, do you think?" Shunsui asked quietly, trying not to awaken Ichigo. His brown eyes were dark as he looked at the sleeping hybrid. "It would be hard to blame him if he does." Byakuya thought about it for a moment and shook his head.

"I don't think so. Ichigo has the heart of a shinigami, and he'll understand that it was a mistake. He'll be able to forgive us." He thought that was true, but the guilt still hurt. He knew he should have said something when he saw Ichigo preparing himself for pain. But how was he to know what seki stone would do to a half-demon?

"I can hear you." Ichigo said drowsily and Byakuya looked down, startled, to meet soft gold eyes. "It's fine. Well, it's not fine, but I'm fine with it. Soutaichou apologized to me. Do you know when demon lords apologize? Never. It's a form of weakness. They bury their mistakes…" Ichigo sighed and his eyes closed again. Byakuya watched then smiled slightly as the boy began to softly snore. He glanced over at Shunsui, who was watching the hybrid with a smile as he sipped a bit of sake.

"He's adorable, he really is. Perhaps you should take him to bed?" Byakuya blushed lightly, wondering if Shunsui had guessed about their relationship. But the advice was good, sleeping in a chair wouldn't do Ichigo's neck and back any good. "I'll go tell the old man he's sleeping with you." Byakuya winced to himself as he saw Shunsui's grin. Yes, he had definitely guessed.

"Please don't put it quite like that." He said reprovingly. "Tell Soutaichou that I will look after him until he has recovered." That was a far more suitable way to put it. Shunsui laughed and pulled down his straw hat as Byakuya gently shook Ichigo's shoulder. The hybrid woke up with a snort followed by a yawn.

"I really want to sleep Byakuya." He said groggily and Byakuya nodded, pulling him to his feet.

"I know, but the tent would be better. I've found some bedding for it." He said, putting an arm around Ichigo's shoulders. The hybrid leaned against him this time, probably because his body was so desperately trying to rest. It felt almost like the boy was drunk, and when Byakuya managed to get him into the tent he immediately collapsed onto the bed. The snoring started again and Byakuya took a seat across from Ichigo, picking up some reports and reading. The sandstorm was still screaming outside the rift, so there was really very little else to do. And Yamamoto wanted someone keeping an eye on Ichigo, so here he would stay.

He would stay here until the end of the world, if necessary.

* * *

Ichigo woke the next morning to find Byakuya sleeping curled up beside him.

The hybrid blinked slowly then smiled, watching the shinigami as he slept. Byakuya was beautiful, and Ichigo loved it when he removed his silver hair clips so his hair could flow completely unhindered. He wanted to comb his fingers through those midnight tresses, but that might wake Byakuya, and he didn't want this quiet moment to end. Instead he just lay beside the shinigami, enjoying the gentle rise and fall of his chest, the beating of his heart and the sweet smell of sakura.

"Taichou?" Ichigo looked up lazily as the door to the tent opened. "Taichou? …Uh…" Renji was standing in the opening, staring at his taichou curled up with a half-demon. There was a strange expression on his face that made Ichigo think of someone struggling not to sneeze.

"He's resting. Is it important?" Ichigo kept his voice quiet, trying not to disturb Byakuya. Renji blinked and cleared his throat, managing to exert control over himself.

"Ah, right. The sandstorm has stopped and Soutaichou wants us to move back through the rift. We're going to leave the wounded here and set up two camps." Ichigo nodded. That sounded logical.

"Okay. I'll wake him up." Ichigo smiled impishly at Renji before giving Byakuya a warm, thorough kiss. There was a choking sound from the door of the tent, but he didn't care. Eyelids fluttered and Ichigo savored the sleepy pleasure in those beautiful grey eyes. "Good morning, beautiful." Ichigo breathed as the kiss ended, nuzzling Byakuya's throat. The grey eyed shinigami melted into the attention but then his eyes opened wide as he heard Renji's voice.

"I'll, uh, go tell them you'll be right there!" The redheaded man vanished then and Ichigo laughed before a hand clamped down hard on his shoulder. He looked at Byakuya then, surprised by the anger in his eyes.

"You humiliated me in front of my fukutaichou!" He said sharply and Ichigo stared, feeling a stab of pain in his heart.

"It's humiliating for them to know we're together?" He asked softly and Byakuya blinked, the hand on his shoulder loosening. "Because of what I am?" Ichigo wasn't sure if he was referring to his hybrid status, or his sex. All the pain he'd endured, the rapes from the demons who wanted to taste his 'strange flesh' came back to his mind and he flinched, moving away. Then he blinked as a hand suddenly gripped his chin, pulling him back into a hot, intense kiss.

"I hate it when you look like that." Byakuya said in his ear and Ichigo shivered at the hot breath against his skin. "When your eyes go so distant and strange. Please, don't go away from me Ichigo. I know you're thinking of terrible things and I hate to see it."

"Byakuya…" Ichigo couldn't resist the allure of the beautiful shinigami, and sank into his arms. But a last kernel of sanity intruded on his fevered mind. "The rift. They're waiting for us."

"They can wait a bit longer." Byakuya said before sucking on his throat. Ichigo quivered in pleasure then gasped as Byakuya rolled him onto his back, trailing kisses down his chest and belly. Running his fingers through the soft red hair, Byakuya licked the tip of the hybrid's erection. Then he took just the head into his mouth, making Ichigo moan and quiver in pleasure, his hips moving.

"Please, inside me, please." Ichigo spread his legs wantonly, craving the attention inside him. Byakuya explored that sensitive flesh, piercing it with his fingers and enjoying Ichigo's cry as his insides clenched at the penetration. "More!" Byakuya began to work his length, slowly increasing the pressure as the hybrid gasped. He quickly learned that giving Ichigo this attention had one interesting advantage… it simply wasn't possible for him to hurt the hybrid with blunt human teeth. In fact, Ichigo's sounds turned even more primal as he gave the demon boy a bit of rough attention.

Ichigo felt like he was dissolving in a puddle of desire, his bones melting from the force of it. The fingers inside him were good, so good, and he pressed his hips desperately against them, but he wanted more. He wanted to feel his lover inside him, filling that space. Then he arched, making a gasp that rose to a howl as Byakuya bit down on hard, but oh so sensitive skin.

"Take me! Hard!" He managed to say, sparks dancing before his eyes. "Please!" Ichigo didn't care if he was begging. All he wanted was Byakuya inside him, now. The beautiful shinigami raised his head from his rock hard erection, leaving a trail of wetness behind as he smiled down at his half-demon lover.

"Since you ask so nicely –" Ichigo gasped as Byakuya took him in one smooth move. The pressure on his insides was perfect, the friction of his trapped arousal bringing him to heights of pleasure. The hybrid tried not to scream and failed miserably as hands gripped his bottom, pulling him closer as Byakuya thrust in as hard and fast as he could ever have desired. The pleasure was overwhelming and Ichigo had to remind himself that Byakuya was shinigami, and he clenched his hands in the sheets to keep from savaging his lover's shoulders.

"Yes. Yes!" He called his affirmation to the world and didn't care who heard. He finally enjoyed sex, enjoyed love, and the glory of it was too much to keep silent. Byakuya bit his shoulder as he speeded his thrusts, taking him so deeply Ichigo felt like he might die from the pleasure. "Byakuya!"

"Ichigo!" Byakuya's voice was a shocking growl from the usually composed noble, and Ichigo reacted to the primitive desire in it. His insides clenched, hard, as a dual orgasm shook his body. His female parts were the more functional of the two, and spasmed over and over again, but his male parts also registered their profound approval. Ichigo arched, all his body tightening at the onslaught, and then he gasped as he felt Byakuya's hot seed spilling inside of him.

They stayed locked together, staring into each other's eyes and quivering with the aftershocks. Then Ichigo relaxed, letting his legs slide apart as Byakuya pulled away. Byakuya opened his mouth to say something, but there was a cough outside.

"I hate to tell you this, but if you don't get to the rift right now, Soutaichou will be coming for you himself. However, that was a wonderful display of reiatsu flaring." Shunsui sounded like he was about to laugh. Byakuya went pale and frantically grabbed for his clothing as Ichigo hastily donned his armor and grabbed Zangetsu. As they both lunged out of the tent, the kimono clad taichou did laugh. "Byakuya, I would never have expected this from you."

"Shut up! You knew already." Byakuya snapped, still elegant but flustered as he adjusted his clothing. Shunsui gave him a charming smile.

"Well, I suspected. Now, I know. Come on, everyone is waiting." Byakuya followed his fellow taichou with as much dignity as he could muster, Ichigo trailing behind. No doubt Yamamoto would have something to say about fraternizing with a potential enemy, and his judgment would be called into question where Ichigo was concerned. That wasn't good, but he really couldn't convince himself to care.

He was willing to do anything to make the pain in Ichigo's eyes go away.

* * *

Just as they were preparing to move back through the rift, the cat came back. Or at least, that was how Byakuya thought of it.

"Kenpachi taichou!" The cry rose from dozens of throats as the familiar, horrible man stepped through the rift. He was coated in red dust and sand, but his grinning face was more than recognizable. Ikkaku and Yumichika followed, and then the rest of the Division behind them. Byakuya found that he wasn't surprised in the least.

"Look at me! I'm an absolute wreck! I need combs and brushes and towels, immediately!" Yumichika was bewailing his appearance which, Byakuya had to grant, was indeed a complete disaster. "I have sand in my shorts!"

"Shut the hell up!" Ikkaku yelled at him as Zaraki grinned. "You want to talk about sand up your shorts? I have sand up my ass!"

"I have sand up my hoo-ha and I need to pee!" Yachiru contributed before sliding off Zaraki's shoulder. "Be back inna bit Kenny!"

"Right. So, which one of you pussies will be asking how we survived?" Kenpachi said with a wide grin, letting his sword rest against his shoulder.

"You buried yourself in the sands like a demon." Ichigo was the one to answer, making Zaraki's eye narrow dangerously. "But I want to know how you didn't suffocate. Demons need to breath, but we hibernate, I always thought that's how we could do it. How did you do it?" He sounded quite curious and Zaraki shrugged, irritated.

"How the hell should I know? It worked, didn't it? Hey, you're that half-breed freak the pretty noble bitch dragged back, aren't you?" Ichigo stiffened in anger and Zaraki flashed him a grin. "That pisses you off? We should fight some time. I want to see how good you are. And why didn't anyone in my unit see you, when you were off saving people?"

"You didn't need my help." Ichigo said shortly and Zaraki laughed loudly.

"Damn right we didn't! He's a smart one. Well, are you pussies just going to stand there? Let's get cleaned up so we can go kill something." Not even Zaraki enjoyed the sand in his pants.

"Oh thank my stars! Water, glorious water!" Yumichika was already dousing himself in a basin when Byakuya and Ichigo went through the rift, returning to the demon realm. Byakuya mentally shook his head.

He wouldn't believe Kenpachi was dead until he saw the decapitated body himself.


	6. Pain

"So, what's this I hear about you pronging that half-breed? Pretty gutsy, Byakuya. I heard some of them have teeth down there."

"Shut up." Byakuya scowled at the offensive words, but Zaraki just grinned. Fortunately, Ichigo was out hunting for demons to eat. If the hybrid had been in range to hear, he would have been even less amused.

"I also hear he hasn't got any balls. What kind of a freak are you fucking, Kuchiki?" Zaraki said, just to get a rise out of him, and it worked. Byakuya stopped dead, a white hot fury rising inside him. Who had spread that around? Who had managed to observe Ichigo that closely? If that person had been in front of him, he would have killed him. He took a moment to be sure of his control before he spoke again.

"Zaraki taichou, Ichigo was born as tiny and helpless as any shinigami, to a group of demons who treat rape as a spectator sport. Please keep that in mind and try to refrain from such words in front of him." Byakuya said, his voice cold as ice. He knew hearing that would hurt Ichigo. The hybrid was very reticent about his birth condition, and went to some lengths to hide it. He hadn't even said anything to Byakuya about it, but the boy might know that Zakanata had dealt with that. And after having sex with him, it was quite obvious. Zaraki's grin faded a bit and he shrugged his wide shoulders.

"We all start out small and helpless, Kuchiki. Even I did, you know." Byakuya blinked as he suddenly tried to imagine a little baby Kenpachi. Unfortunately, his mind simply could not encompass that image. "But fine, I'll try not to piss off your demon lover. I wonder what it would be like to fight him?" He mused. "He any good?"

"He's probably as strong as a taichou." Byakuya answered. If Zaraki wanted to fight Ichigo, the hybrid would likely not mind a bit. He'd seen how Ichigo enjoyed a good fight, despite the risk of death. He had a strong fighting spirit, almost as strong as his desire to protect. "And he regenerates rapidly. If you want to spar with him, feel free, but I would recommend waiting until we're done here." The demons were all too willing to give them a hard fight and it wouldn't do them much good to have Kenpachi and Ichigo laid up from self-inflicted injuries.

"Yeah, yeah, demons, I get it. But I'll sure as hell be looking him up when we get back." Kenpachi said, rubbing the back of his neck. "And what the hell is taking so long? Freaking Yumichika braiding his hair?"

"All of your unit are still cleaning themselves." Byakuya said, noting that Zaraki hadn't really done a thorough job, although his clothes were at least clean. "Even Yachiru, so you'll just have to be patient."

"Yeah well – woah, what's that?" There was a bit of a stir happening. Yet, there didn't seem to be any violence. They both went to investigate and were shocked and surprised to see a cowering, blue skinned, red eyed demon in the middle of the camp. He was surrounded by shinigami with drawn zanpakuto and seemed quite terrified.

"Don't kill the messenger!" He was begging and Byakuya lifted an eyebrow. Messenger? "Mercy, oh dreadful ones! Please, I must give my message to Ichigo!" That resolved some of the questions and Byakuya stepped forward until he was standing in front of the demon, motioning the other shinigami back.

"You are here from Gilshratz?" He asked. The demon's eyes widened and he bobbed his head. "Ichigo is hunting. You can give me the message and I will give it to him." The demon seemed to turn a paler shade of blue and shook his head violently.

"I humbly apologize, dreadful one, but I cannot! My instructions were to give this message to Ichigo personally. Have mercy on your humble servant?" The demon pleaded and Byakuya sighed to himself. This was inconvenient. It was hard to say how long it would take Ichigo to get back and no one was going to be happy about having this creature in the camp.

"What is this?" Yamamoto stepped out from between the shinigami and the demon flattened himself in utter abasement as he sensed the Soutaichou's power. "Why is this thing here?" The old man scowled at the demon, making him whimper in terror. Byakuya took a deep breath before explaining.

"He's a messenger from a demon lord ally of Ichigo's. I witnessed their meeting through my zanpakuto, and he was going to scout the Stones of Eternity for Ichigo. Apparently, they are the seal on the banishment, and if someone is tampering with them it could explain the rifts." Byakuya looked down at the demon, who was looking up at him in astonishment. "I assume he has learned something, so he sent this messenger."

"Why would a demon lord help us, even if he is some kind of friend of your little piece of ass?" Zaraki said suspiciously and Byakuya held his temper in check with difficulty. Zaraki was really getting on his nerves.

"I would not have put it that way, but I would like the answer to that question also." Soutaichou rumbled and, to all their surprise, it was the demon that answered.

"My master is only a young demon lord. He has climbed well, but if the dark mother emerges tomorrow he will be dirt beneath her feet. The ascendants will send him forth against you to suffer and die in battle. He does not want the dark mother to return until he has ascended." There was a pause as they all absorbed that little snapshot of demon life. It suddenly occurred to Byakuya that Ichigo had known that. No wonder he'd been willing to trust Gilshratz to scout for him.

"Hey, what's going on over here?" A familiar voice called down and Byakuya felt a great relief as Ichigo spiralled in for a landing. "What – oh, you again. Why are you here? Have a death wish?"

"Ichigo!" The demon sounded frantically glad to see him, which made Ichigo blink in surprise. "I have a message from Gilshratz!" He glanced around, clearly wondering if he could talk in front of the shinigami. Ichigo resolved his dilemma with an impatient wave.

"I have no secrets here. Spill." He said and the demon gladly spilled.

"He sent many scouts and most did not come back, but one got close enough to see the stones and the ones around them! The stones are held by Sona Maria and all her hordes. Gilshratz bids you well but cannot help any further. I can leave dreadful one?" Ichigo rubbed his forehead for a moment, closing his eyes before looking at the messenger.

"You came here without stopping to feed. Let me feed you before you go." He said and stepped close to the demon, making Byakuya tense and grip the hilt of his sword. "Way of Mercy 36: My flesh to yours." Ichigo pulled off a bit of the armor on his arm and offered the naked flesh to the demon, who sank his teeth in eagerly. The hybrid stood still, stoically enduring the pain before forcing the other demon off. "Tell Gilshratz I appreciate his help and will not call upon him again until matters are finished, one way or the other."

"Yes Ichigo!" The demon abased himself again before scuttling away. Ichigo watched him go, expressionless, then looked at Yamamoto.

"Will there be a big meeting soon? Because that wasn't good news at all, but it's going to take a while to explain everything." After the incident with the seki stone collar, Byakuya had reminded the hybrid that he couldn't assume they knew anything where it came to demons. The records from before the banishment were fragmentary at best. Yamamoto frowned at him but nodded.

"We were holding a meeting in any case. I will expect you to give a full briefing on what you have learned." He said and Ichigo nodded. Things broke up then, and Byakuya went to Ichigo's side. The hybrid was looking at the ground with a slightly upset expression on his face.

"You look like someone killed your dog. This Sona Maria is powerful?" Zaraki's loud voice said behind Ichigo, making the hybrid jump and blink. He turned to look at the larger man, and his golden eyes had a glimmer of good humor.

"Oh, she's powerful. She's also called the Beast of Brutality, and when a demon calls another demon brutal, it really means something. You might like her." Ichigo's smile widened to a grin and Byakuya wondered why. "You should make a hybrid with her. It would be the most terrifying thing to ever walk the sands."

"Ichigo!" Byakuya said, appalled, but Zaraki laughed.

"You matchmaking, kid? Well, it's good to see you've got a sense of humor, unlike some people. Oh, finally!" Byakuya turned to look and saw the 11th was finally straggling through the rift, looking considerably cleaner if rather ragged around the edges. "Time to go kick some ass."

"Just make it to the meeting tonight." Byakuya reminded Kenpachi, who sneered and hefted his sword.

"Talk, talk, nothing but talk. But fine, I'll make it to your precious meeting." And he went off to meet his unit. Pretty soon the 11th Division was moving out to begin scouring the sands. Byakuya watched, then turned to Ichigo.

"I'm also going to do some sweeps. Would you like to come?" He asked and Ichigo immediately nodded.

"I'd be glad to. I'll help keep your men safe, and maybe settle a few debts along the way." The demon boy's eyes shone with bloodlust nearly as bright as Kenpachi's, and Byakuya sighed to himself. But he wasn't going to tell Ichigo to forgo his revenge.

He had a lot of things to get revenge for.

* * *

Ichigo looked at himself in the hand mirror, adjusting his clothing slightly.

He was going to be giving a briefing to all the taichou and officers. That was a bit nerve-wracking, mainly because he desperately wanted acceptance in this 'hive.' It wasn't like a demon hive, of course, but Ichigo wasn't certain what else to call it. And this was the first time he'd tried to join a hive in earnest. Most demon lords would not have wanted him, and the few who would, would have expected him to give sexual and blood favors. Ichigo grimaced at the thought. The lack of that kind of behaviour among the shinigami was quite refreshing.

Deciding he'd spent enough time on his appearance and wanting to be a bit early, Ichigo went to the big tent that was housing the meeting. Slipping inside, he found that most of the taichou were already there and plenty of the officers. Renji was quickly by his side and Ichigo smiled at the young man. He was fascinated by the black marks on his skin. Demons would often paint marks like that on their skins, just for fun and vanity, but the ones on Renji seemed to be permanent.

"Hey, you're sitting over here, between me and Byakuya." Ichigo nodded and took his seat. Byakuya wasn't there yet. "I didn't get a chance to say thanks for killing that demon for me and Rukia."

"Oh, it was nothing. I enjoyed it." Ichigo said truthfully. "Hikana and I have a bit of a history." That was really all he wanted to say about that, and Renji nodded. He'd heard what Ichigo had said to the demonness just before eating her heart. "Is Rukia's arm okay?" He'd been astonished to find out that it would be at least a week before the break healed, and that was considered quite fast for a bone injury.

"Yeah, she's gonna be – hsst!" Byakuya took his seat on Ichigo's right side and Yamamoto took his spot at the head of the table. Everyone quieted, even Zaraki, and the Soutaichou had them give some quick status reports. Ichigo didn't understand most of that, although his attention was caught by the casualty figures. If it had just been low level demons, the rates would have been good. But from what he now knew of shinigami, he didn't think they were good at all. Even the least powerful shinigami was not meant to be fodder the way weak demons were.

"Now, Kurosaki Ichigo received information from an informant this afternoon. He has agreed to give us a briefing on what we face." Ichigo took a deep breath and stood as all eyes turned to him. It was even more nerve-wracking than he had anticipated, but he struggled not to show how it was affecting him as he spoke.

"Okay. I'm not sure what you already know, so if any of this is kind of boring I apologize." Ichigo glanced around. No one appeared to be bored yet. "I'm going to start with how demon lords evolve. It will help explain the problem we're facing here. Demon lords are born cute and cuddly, just like shinigami." There were some very surprised looks around the table, but Ichigo forged on. "Demons have some maternal instincts, and a new demon lord is a continuation of the line, so they get good care. Eventually they get old enough to lose the cuteness, and that's when the parenting demon lord will split the hive. A group of lesser demons and greater demons will be sent with the baby demon lord to establish a new hive. The bigger the group the parent can give, the better the chances the demon lord will survive the next stage."

"We call the next stage the cannibal stage, because that's basically what they do." Ichigo told his audience, eyes dark with memories. "At this point, the young demon lords must devour each other, and quickly, to swell their hive with captured minions. Hmm… do you know how demons devour each other?" He asked.

"They eat each other? Or is it not that simple?" A taichou Ichigo didn't know, a man with long white hair, asked. Ichigo nodded.

"It's not quite that simple. Lesser demons don't have much personality, so they can be safely absorbed by other lesser and greater demons. Greater demons, on the other hand, have enough personality to generate a clash of wills if another greater demon tries to absorb them completely. Since that kind of battle can result in the victor losing their body to the one they are trying to absorb, most greater demons will never initiate it. They'll just strip what power they can from the heart and let the loser survive to resurrect. Although if a demon has their heart eaten enough times, they'll finally be absorbed." Ichigo took a deep breath. "Demon lords are different. They _must_ absorb their victims completely, the first time, if they hope to advance. So they're very practiced in those kinds of mental battles."

"And how does this matter?" Kenpachi asked, obviously bored even though everyone else was interested. Ichigo smiled briefly.

"I'll get there. After the cannibal stage is the lower tier. That tier is pretty stable, so the demon lords in it have to start engaging in long term plots and strategies. They mostly plot against others in their tier, but sometimes they can shoot much, much higher. My ally Gilshratz is a perfect example of that. My mother's demon lord was an ascendant, but by managing to make contact with me and having his spies train me in focus, we were able to overthrow her together and propel him into the next tier." Ichigo shrugged. "And I got my freedom. It was a good exchange. Anyway, after the lowest tier is the middle tier, which is the same thing but with more power. After that is the ascendants. They are the demon lords who are truly powerful, have vast hordes of minions, and who want the dark mother to come back immediately." Ichigo hesitated before explaining further. "The demon lords in the lower and middle tiers don't want the dark mother to awaken until they are ascendant, so there's a natural conflict at work."

"You think we can exploit that?" Byakuya said and Ichigo glanced at him before shaking his head.

"I honestly don't know. The problem is that the only demon lord I'm friendly with is Gilshratz, and he can't help us. In demon terms, he took out an ascendant a very short time ago. If he takes out another, the ascendants will probably destroy him as unacceptably dangerous. He can't risk it." Ichigo knew they would get no help from that quarter, and he didn't really blame Gilshratz. "And also, Sona Maria is shooting really high. I hate to tell you this, but we're facing the very top of the ascendants. Sona has, to my knowledge, over a thousand lesser demons, scores of greater demons, and at least five demon lord children and vassals that must answer her call, if she makes it." There was a deathly silence around the table as they absorbed that. "She wouldn't bring all of them to the stones though. She always has to keep her hive defended. But even so, this is going to be very bad. And there is another problem." Ichigo hesitated, glancing at Yamamoto before continuing. "You aren't demons. How do you intend to kill Sona so she won't resurrect?" There was a stir around the table.

"Won't another demon lord take advantage of her weakness to finish her while she's resurrecting?" Renji asked and Byakuya nodded thoughtfully. That was what he would have expected. But Ichigo shook his head.

"If it were anyone else, I'd say yes, but she's the very top of the ascendants. It will be a terrific blow to her power and prestige, but the others are terrified of her. And any remaining demon lord vassals will protect her remains until she resurrects. Not because they want to, but because she has them bound very tightly to her will and power. I'd say it would take her at least five thousand years to recover from the blow to her power base, but eventually she would try again. If we want to stop this from happening in the future, we have to eliminate her completely. She won't have shared the knowledge of her new technique with anyone… she wants to be the one to awaken the dark mother and receive her favor… so if she dies, completely, this knowledge goes with her."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Yamamoto rumbled and Ichigo bit his lip.

"I wish I had a good answer. I was hoping you would have some ideas." He said honestly. "The only one I can come up with is to have a rival demon lord or… or me, devour her and challenge her to a battle of wills. The problem with that is that only another demon lord would stand a good chance of winning. I would probably lose, and even if I won, my shinigami side would be snuffed out. I would never be the same and honestly, I'd prefer to die than become a demon lord." He meant that with all of his heart. Now that he'd had a taste of what it meant to be a shinigami, he did not want to go back.

"I see. Is that everything?" Yamamoto asked and Ichigo hesitated a moment before nodding and returning to his seat. "Kuchiki taichou, is there any records of how a shinigami can destroy a demon lord permanently?"

"No, but there are numerous records of shinigami binding demon lords. Perhaps some kind of containment…" Ichigo let the rest of the meeting wash over him, and didn't bother to point out the problems. Binding Sona Maria would require bonds almost as powerful as those on the dark mother, and he doubted the shinigami could do that again. Demon lore had it that six powerful shinigami had given their lives to forge the banishment, a purely voluntary sacrifice. Glancing around the room, he wondered what taichou's would be volunteering for that task. Looking at Byakuya, so calm and intent, Ichigo felt his breath catch in his throat. He could imagine Byakuya willingly sacrificing himself to stop Sona Maria, and the thought made something inside him writhe in agony. But then he stopped as a strange thought occurred to him. He turned it around in his mind, examining it from all angles.

_Sacrifice… willing sacrifice…_

_Could that work?_

Ichigo almost missed the end of the meeting, his mind still completely absorbed in evaluating his idea. But he blinked and looked up as Byakuya gripped his arm, frowning at him faintly.

"Is something wrong, Ichigo?" Golden eyes met grey, and Ichigo forced a smile he didn't feel. He could sense Byakuya's concern sharpening.

"Just thinking about how to stop Sona Maria forever." He said honestly. "It's kind of a puzzle. Demon lore says… demon lore says the great mother's binding required six taichou level shinigami to give their lives to the stones." From the shock in Byakuya's eyes, he hadn't known that. "Any binding that's going to last a long time will probably need blood." He couldn't keep the distress out of his voice and Byakuya regarded him for a moment before squeezing his shoulder.

"We will find a way." Was all he said and Ichigo nodded before standing. But his idea would not go away.

_What if…?_

When he and Byakuya made love that night, Ichigo couldn't keep his feelings out of their coupling. When he took the shinigami into his body, a tear slid down his cheek, falling onto his lover's chest and glittering like a captive star. Even as the pleasure soared to mind numbing heights, thoughts of death and endings intruded, giving his actions an air of desperation. He knew he was hurting Byakuya a little, his hard fingers raising trails of red on that soft, sakura scented skin, but he couldn't stop. And Byakuya wasn't asking him to stop, his grey eyes wide and caught up in the same animal instinct as his hybrid lover.

"This is the reason I shouldn't." He whispered in Byakuya's ear, ignoring the man's puzzled sound. "But it's also the reason I should."

"Should what?" Byakuya panted but Ichigo couldn't bring himself to answer, silencing him with a passionate kiss as they mated, their bodies moving in a dance as old as time. Ichigo reached his peak first, throwing back his head as the pleasure overwhelmed him. A few more hard thrusts, and Byakuya joined him, filling him with his hot seed. Ichigo cherished the feeling, the sensation of his lover's release inside his body. This was life. This was what he'd always wanted.

_Is it what I have to give up?_ The thought made him feel sick, as he gazed into Byakuya's beautiful eyes, his flushed face, the long black hair spread over the pillows. _How can I give this up?_

"Ichigo, what's wrong?" Byakuya asked softly, gripping the hybrid's shoulder as they parted. "You're not the same tonight." The concern in those beautiful eyes was another hurt in his heart, but Ichigo ignored the pain, embracing his lover and kissing him gently on the cheek.

"Just thinking about how likely we are to survive this." He said softly, which was the truth but also a lie. Understanding filled grey eyes, and Byakuya gave him a warm, loving kiss.

"I won't die, Ichigo. I will make it through this." The shinigami assured him and Ichigo's breath caught in his throat. The thought of Byakuya sacrificing himself came back, and he caught his hand, pressing it over his heart.

"And what if I die?" He asked quietly and saw pain flash in Byakuya's eyes. _Another reason I shouldn't._ "I'm not as powerful as Sona. She could eat my heart, and I'm too shinigami to come back." He didn't resurrect. It was part of the reason he was so tough, so capable of regeneration. Byakuya gripped his arms so tightly that if not for his hard skin, Ichigo knew he would have been in pain.

"You won't die. Stop this, Ichigo. We will fight together and shatter our enemies." The intensity of Byakuya's voice gripped him, but Ichigo could only think it was a denial of reality. But there was no point in saying that. He couldn't share his thought with Byakuya. It would hurt the beautiful shinigami too much. Instead he nodded and gave the noble a final, warm kiss before pretending to sleep. He waited until Byakuya's breathing had become even and regular before opening his eyes and regarding the noble beside him. Byakuya was deeply asleep. Ichigo carefully slid out of the blankets, taking care not to awaken his lover, and put on his shinigami clothes before leaving the tent.

He needed to think, and there was a decision to make. Slipping through the camp like a ghost, Ichigo walked through the rift back to Soul Society. Pausing, he looked up into the sky and marvelled at the stars. The demon sands had very different stars, and the night skies were often full of luminous clouds of gas as well as the northern lights. This was a much quieter beauty.

It was a bit eerie, walking through the camp at night. Shinigami were daytime creatures, and the only ones stirring were the sentries keeping the camp safe. That, and some of the wounded who were too badly hurt or restless to sleep. Ichigo bypassed them all, walking into the forest. He wanted to see the trees.

"So strange." He whispered to himself, trailing fingers over rough bark. In the night, the forest was all shades of grey and black, but he found it was just as beautiful and interesting as the daytime. Stopping to look up at a tree, he blinked as his toe hit something. Kneeling down, he picked it up and examined the strange object, turning it in his hands. "What is it?"

_It is a pinecone._ Come a soft and comforting voice, touching the shinigami half of his soul. Ichigo closed his eyes, just savoring the fact that he could hear Zangetsu and feel him. He'd never been able to feel Zakanata the way he could feel his own zanpakuto. Then he looked back at the thing in his hands. It was rough and stiff, with odd little flaring parts.

"What is a pinecone for?" He softly asked the zanpakuto.

_It is how pine trees make more pine trees._ Ichigo smiled at the answer, and tried to imagine how the pine cone accomplished that feat. He couldn't figure it out, but perhaps Byakuya could tell him. The pinecone fell from suddenly nerveless fingers and Ichigo sniffed, running a hand over his face.

"Zangetsu, what should I do?" He asked his zanpakuto and there was a long silence.

_I cannot make this decision for you, Ichigo._ He answered and Ichigo nodded. That was true. This was his decision, and he needed to make it. Standing up, he looked around the forest one last time. Would this be the last time he would see it?

"This is a reason I shouldn't." He whispered. There were so many reasons he shouldn't. Feeling like his soul was hurting, Ichigo walked back into the camp. He would have gone straight through the rift, but a sound caught his attention and stopped his feet. It was heart breakingly beautiful, and like nothing he had ever heard before.

_It is called a flute._ Zangetsu said as Ichigo followed the sound. A young female shinigami was sitting on a crate. She was heavily bandaged, with an eyepatch over one eye, but she was holding the flute to her lips and creating that haunting melody. Ichigo listened, spellbound, until the music ended. Then he stepped closer. She lowered the flute from her lips, looking at him with her undamaged eye.

"Can I sit with you a while?" He asked quietly. "Your music is beautiful." Demons had music, but it was nothing like this. They favored jarring, discordant sounds that always made Ichigo feel a little ill. She smiled slightly, moving over on the crate to make room.

"Sure." She said softly and Ichigo sat down beside her. "Would you like to hear something else?"

"Please." Ichigo listened again as she played, the soft, sweet notes piercing his heart with their beauty. He wasn't aware of his tears until the music stopped and she spoke.

"Why are you crying?" She asked and Ichigo tried to think. Why was he crying?

"Because we might all die." He said, meeting her gaze squarely. "You almost died. Does it bother you?" He was sure she had come close, with all the bandages she wore. Her breath caught for a moment, and then she shook her head.

"No. I would have died protecting the ones I love." She blew a soft note, then smiled. "And if we all die, we'll die for that. Protecting everyone." Ichigo stared at her, feeling something shift inside himself, something vitally important.

_Protecting. Protecting the ones we love… protecting everyone. This is the reason I should._

_No._

_This is the reason I must._

Ichigo felt Zangetsu's sadness and pride as he came to a decision and he smiled, gently patting the girl on a bandaged shoulder.

"Thank you. That helps." He said before standing up and walking back towards the rift. The young shinigami watched him go, silent and wondering. For now, Ichigo would go back to Byakuya and sleep.

Tomorrow would be soon enough.


	7. The Final Battle

The hard part was telling Byakuya.

Ichigo was tempted, deeply tempted, to be a coward. To let Yamamoto and the other taichou's do it. But that would have been a betrayal of the trust between them, even though his plan was already a betrayal of their fledgling love. Would Byakuya turn away from him? And if he did, could Ichigo blame him? The lyrics of a song rose unbidden to his mind. It was nothing he'd ever heard before, but the tune suddenly came to him, as if his soul was speaking to him.

_Would you leave me, if I told you what I've done?_

_Would you leave me, if I told you what I've become?_

_Because it's so easy, to say it to a crowd,_

_But it's so hard my love, to say it to you my love…_

"I have never heard that song before. What is it?" Byakuya asked, looking at him with a small smile. Ichigo couldn't smile back. There was room in is heart for nothing but pain.

"It's the way I feel. Byakuya, I'm going to die." He simply stated it, but couldn't keep the pain out of his voice. Byakuya's smile turned into a frown and as he gripped the hybrids shoulder.

"We discussed this last night, Ichigo. You are not going to die. We are going to destroy our enemies together!" He said, a touch too loudly and they both flinched as a loud voice boomed behind them.

"That's the spirit! Never knew you had it in you, Kuchiki." Ichigo turned to glare at Zaraki, but his heart wasn't in it. The big man would know about the plan soon enough, and having an audience made this strangely easier. And he hadn't invited this audience, so he didn't feel guilty about having it.

"That's not what I meant. I am going to die." He said it emotionlessly this time, as if it were something obvious, like the sky is blue or the sands are red. "I have volunteered to use my life force to destroy Sona Maria." Byakuya stared at him and Zaraki's usual, homicidal grin faded as they both realized he was dead serious. "I'm mortal, I age and die, and when I die my demon half will go with my shinigami into the cycle of rebirth. So it is possible for a demon to be forced into that cycle. If I let Sona Maria drain my life, and a fatal blow is given to me at the right moment, my dying mortality will flow to her and we will both die. And all this will be over, forever." There was a shocked silence and Ichigo realized that several other shinigami were now in earshot. He didn't care. All he cared about was Byakuya and the shock and pain in those beautiful grey eyes.

"Do you guys need some time alone?" Zaraki finally said, surprisingly perceptive. "Because that is one hell of a bombshell, kid." Ichigo nodded, not looking away from Byakuya, and felt the big man leaving.

"This is what you were thinking about last night." Byakuya said quietly and Ichigo nodded. He wished he could make the pain in those grey eyes go away. "Ichigo, you do not have to do this. You just met us, and you owe us nothing."

"I have to protect." He said and then took a deep breath. "And if I don't and you make a binding, whose life will go to power it? You? Shunsui? Hitsugaya? Zaraki?" All of them meant something to him. He'd spent some time talking to the tiny, white haired taichou and thought Hitsugaya could be a friend. Zaraki… might be a friend too, someday, although a very odd and scary kind of friend. "And it would probably take more than one. I can't let you do that, not when it could be just me…" Ichigo felt tears prickle at his eyes and suppressed them mercilessly. "And bindings can be broken. This can't. I have to do this, Byakuya."

"You are not shinigami, Ichigo. You're a lost child, and until now we did nothing for you." Byakuya gripped his wrists, almost painfully. "You have your whole life ahead of you. This is not right."

"No, it's not, but it is what it is." He said softly and knew that Byakuya understood. He would not be moved from this course. "I'm sorry." Ichigo started to pull his hands away, silently offering to let the shinigami withdraw. Pull away from him, emotionally and physically. Not because he wanted to, but because it was the right thing to do. Loving him could only cause Byakuya pain.

"Ichigo, no." To his shock, Byakuya suddenly hugged him, pulling him into a tight embrace. Ichigo had genuinely expected the shinigami to leave him. "I will be with you through this. Don't push me away."

"Byakuya…" And Ichigo held tightly to his shinigami lover, as Byakuya held tightly to him, united in pain and love.

Struggling not to break.

* * *

Ichigo's head felt heavy and dull. His whole body ached, his hands were shaking with effort and even his soul registered the strain. He watched, his mouth full of saliva and mucus, as hands eagerly scooped up the water he'd called from the depths of the demons sands. Taking a breath, he spat on the ground to clear his mouth, then hunched over in pain. The hunger was so great it was nearly overwhelming.

The march to the Stones was not going too well. The problem was the supply lines. Ichigo could scout a path for them between the hives, and most of the demon lords seemed inclined to let them pass, except for random attacks by crazed minions. But Sona Maria was aware of their movements and while she was brutal, she was also intelligent. Her reply had been to cut their supply lines, and it was becoming nearly impossible for any water or food to reach them.

But they had found solutions to the problem. Shinigami could eat demon food, especially the fungi they grew in the hives. But they could also eat demons, even though they found it rather appalling. Ichigo suspected there might be long term effects, but hopefully they wouldn't be here long enough for it to be an issue. Water had been the real problem, until Ichigo had offered to call it up from the sands for them. There was water here, buried deep underground, and if he called hard enough with the demon half of his soul it would come.

The price, of course, was paid in power. Ichigo looked up as the beautiful scent of blood and power filled the air and the corpse of a greater demon was dropped at his feet.

"There you go kid. Strongest I could find." Zaraki Kenpachi said with a laugh and Ichigo didn't waste a moment tearing into the carcass. "A little peckish, aren't you? Want me to go find another?"

"Yef." He managed to say before burying his face back into the chest cavity. He was in no mood to wait and didn't give a damn what anyone thought of his feeding habits. Zaraki just laughed and went off to find him more prey. Ichigo was just glad there was at least one shinigami willing to hunt for him. The drain on his power was terrifying, and there was no way he could sustain it without fresh, powerful prey. He didn't stop eating until the body was nothing but broken bones, and sighed as he sat back on his heels.

"Ichigo." He blinked as Byakuya knelt beside him, offering him a wet cloth. "You're covered in blood." There was no judgement in those grey eyes, only calm acceptance. He took the cloth and began to clean himself off.

"That was enough water then?" If they were willing to use a bit of it to dampen a cloth, it had to be. Ichigo was used to giving himself sand baths, and would have done that, but the water was more pleasant. Byakuya nodded.

"It will last us at least another day, possibly two." They both looked up as Zaraki arrived with another dead body. This one was far less powerful than the first, and Ichigo opened it up more daintily, trying not to cover himself in blood again.

"Thank you." He said politely. "Want a piece?" He offered the other man a bleeding arm, and Zaraki took it with a crooked grin.

"Sure. Don't look so sick, Kuchiki. We're all going to be eating this in a day or two." The food wasn't entirely gone but it would be soon. He bit into the flesh and raised his eyebrows. "Huh. Tastes… good."

"That's the power you're absorbing." Ichigo said, licking his lips. "It always tastes really good, and the stronger the demon, the better it is." To Ichigo, the salty blood and the faint smell of rot were also delicious, but he was sure that wasn't the attraction for a shinigami. No, it would be the power that made this kind of food tasty for them.

"Will there be long term effects from that?" Byakuya asked and Ichigo shrugged.

"No idea. I don't think it affected my father, but they might have fed him a lot of fungi. I'm sure they fed him at least some meat, though." The fungi wasn't really that sustaining, for long periods. "I think we should just worry about it later, if there is a later." Ichigo added and Zaraki laughed.

"Smart kid! Nice little spark you have going there, by the way." He commented and Ichigo looked at him uncomprehendingly. "That thing in your reiatsu. What is that?"

"Huh?" Ichigo's gaze dropped and his stomach clenched as he saw what the taichou meant. There was a bright, swirling spark in the reiatsu of his belly. With appalling timing, his body had chosen now to stage a successful conception. "Ah, it's nothing." Ichigo laid a hand over his flat stomach, that would always remain flat, and felt a moment of sadness. It was beautiful, more beautiful than any of the earlier conceptions that had been forced on him, but it was still futile. "Just as well." He had no time to carry a baby to term anyway. The spark would probably still be there when he let Sona Maria take his life.

"It is a conception." Byakuya said softly and Ichigo looked up, surprised. "Zakanata told me that this would be possible. I'm sorry, Ichigo."

"What, you're having a kid?" Zaraki looked a little stunned at the news. "Won't that kind of screw up the plan?" He couldn't imagine Yamamoto allowing Ichigo to sacrifice both himself and a baby. But Ichigo shook his head.

"I'm too male to have it. It's nothing to worry about." He said, then stood. "And I'm ready to start scouting again. Thanks for the meals." Then he took to the air again, taking one last glance down at his belly as he flew. The reiatsu there looked like a gorgeous little flower.

It was such a shame that it was doomed.

* * *

Two days later, they had almost reached the stones and were beginning to encounter hard resistance.

Ichigo tore through the ranks of lesser demons like a buzzsaw, and the other taichou fared equally well. But as more and more demons arrived, the taichou had to devote their attentions to the greater and leave the lesser for the rest. Ichigo snarled as he engaged a greater demon he didn't know, a male with short red hair and a scar over his eye. The fight was vicious but Ichigo finally overpowered him and took his heart.

They finally drove off the attack, but Ichigo hated to see how many shinigami had died or been badly injured. The injured had to come along, there was no way to send them back, but that took time and effort. Several simply committed suicide, stating that their injuries were too severe for even the attempt. No one tried to stop them, because they were right.

The attacks came thick and furious as they penetrated the Stones, but every time the shinigami drove the demons off. Then a demon lord, one of Sona's vassals, took the field. Ichigo gave himself over to the thrill of the battle and used his Oblivion Sphere again. It worked as well as it had on his mother, and then Zaraki beheaded the rival demon lord while Byakuya's ban kai pierced him. As the body fell, the now leaderless demons turned and ran.

"If he was guarding this section of the stones, that might give us some breathing room." Ichigo said as he came in for a landing.

"You think so?" Kenpachi said sceptically as Yachiru congratulated him on his victory.

"Honestly? It's more of a hope. And it looks like my hopes will go unfulfilled." Ichigo readied Zangetsu as another wave began to overtake them. "And oh shit." He raised his gaze and Zaraki and Byakuya both turned to look with him. There was a dark, intensely powerful reiatsu rising and heading in their direction. "Excuse me." Ichigo frantically began devouring the fallen demon lord, not attempting to take all of his power but just enough to recharge from the Oblivion Sphere. Fortunately, a demon lord was a rich source of power.

"Is that…?" Zaraki sounded almost impressed and Ichigo nodded. "I think I'm in love." He could feel the astonishing bloodlust radiating from Sona, even from here. Ichigo almost choked on his food as Byakuya gave Kenpachi a reproving look. "Just kidding. But she's pretty damned sexy, look at that." Sona could almost be seen now. Physically, she was tall and strong, with long brown hair that streamed behind her in the wind. Her face was too strong for beauty, and was marked with red marks similar to Ichigo's, but they went over her right eye. Her armor was jet black, and she wielded a massive sword in one hand and a spiked whip in the other.

They had no time to talk then. Many of the taichous were busy with the greater demons, but everyone who could get free joined the fight against Sona. Her power was terrifying, and she clearly enjoyed using it personally. Ichigo flinched as she nearly maimed Hitsugaya, but Byakuya rescued the smaller taichou before she could use her whip to remove his tongue. It was clear to Ichigo that she was enjoying this. Half her spells were Suffering, rather than the more serious Damnation.

Unfortunately, soon two of her demon lord vassals joined the fight, taking some of the pressure off their matriarch. Sona let them fight, enjoying their pain as much as her enemies. Ichigo had always heard she was more than a bit crazy, and now he knew it was true. She was laughing like a lunatic as Yamamoto attacked her personally. The force of his power was dreadful, but it still wasn't fully a match for her…

He was definitely hurting her, though. Ichigo narrowed his eyes, gauging the power storm above him. He needed to strike at Sona when she was hurting enough to regard him as a meal rather than just something to kill. Yamamoto landed a titanic strike of fire that actually cracked her armor, and her shriek of rage could be heard halfway across the battlefield. _Now._ Ichigo launched himself into the battle. Until now he'd been holding back, conserving himself for this moment.

"Way of Damnation 62: White Fire Roaring!" He called on his power and sent it towards Sona in a blast of glorious white fire. She blocked the hit with her arm, laughing at him as Yamamoto fell back. She glanced at him with a sneer, obviously thinking the powerful shinigami was retreating from her might. Which he was, but not for the reason she thought.

"You think you can fight me, half-breed? HAH!" She said contemptuously, pointing her sword at him. "Way of Suffering 45: Flaying Knives!" Ichigo cursed as he tried to evade the sudden onslaught of knives intent on removing his skin. He managed, mostly, but blood dripped from scores of cuts as he launched his next attack. His sword clashed with hers, and then her whip wound around Zangetsu. Ichigo's eyes widened as he resisted her attempt to disarm him. "Stupid child. You never should have come." She hissed in his face, her breath a charnel reek. Her eyes were as brown as her hair and filled with exaltation and bloodlust. "Way of Suffering 89: Cross of Nails!"

Ichigo screamed then, as Zangetsu was yanked out of his grasp and his arms and legs were yanked away from his body. Nails hit him then, focusing on his arms and legs and penetrating deep into his flesh. That would have been bad enough, but this was an advanced Way of Suffering, so that wasn't the end. They exploded inside him with tiny detonations, driving more fragments through his lacerated flesh. Ichigo started to fall, broken and bleeding, but he was caught by another focus.

"Way of Entrapment 59: Holding Chains!" Iron chains wrapped around him, yanking him back up so he was held in the air across from Sona. And even through the agony, Ichigo felt a moment of satisfaction. _She's taking the bait._ But he couldn't make it easy for her.

"Zangetsu." He whispered and the sword reappeared in his hand. Struggling against the chains, he called on his shinigami side. "Getsuga Tenshou!" The blast of power surprised her, but that only enraged Sona further.

"Brat!" Her whip came into play then, and Ichigo screamed again and again as the spines removed strips of skin from his body. When she judged he was suitably weakened, she spoke again. "Way of Suffering 99: Soul Suction!" That was the preferred method for a powerful demon lord to devour an enemy. Ichigo's very soul felt violated, as tendrils of dark and hungry power erupted from her, tearing into his body with a thousand hungry mouths. Devouring everything he was, and everything he could ever become.

_**NOW!**_ The roar was from Zangetsu, sent to the zanpakuto's of the chosen taichou's. Ichigo jerked in agony as Shunsui's sword entered his back, plunging through his heart. Then Hitsugaya's ice took him lower in the back, severing his spine and Kenpachi's sword punched through his other side, meeting Shunsui's in his body. It was overkill, really, but his body was incredibly tough. He had survived a wound to his heart once before.

But not this time. Ichigo coughed blood, his head falling forward for a moment. Then he raised it, looking at Sona across from him. Her face was twitching madly in shock and she abruptly screamed as blood exploded from her chest. Ichigo smiled, blood on his lips, as he embraced death and shared it with her.

"I'm sorry." Shunsui's voice was quiet in his ear as he pulled his sword free. Zaraki yanked his weapon free in a splatter of gore, and Hitsugaya's ice shattered, vanishing as Ichigo fell limply out of the sky. The black tendrils between him and Sona shattered as she tried desperately to close the connection, but it was too late. The stricken demon lord was falling with him and they hit the ground together. For Ichigo, it was strangely peaceful. Darkness was shading over his vision, and he heard Sona scream again just before death claimed him.

It was a beautiful sound and he let go with a feeling of deep satisfaction at a job well done.

* * *

Byakuya skidded to a stop beside Ichigo. He'd hoped to hold the hybrid one last time and comfort him as the light went out of those golden eyes, forever. But one look at the shattered body told him he was too late. Ichigo's eyes were open and fixed, unblinking and unseeing. Yet, the expression on his face was peaceful and Byakuya knelt beside him, picking up what was left of the demon boy, holding him close, heedless of the blood.

Then he looked up as the gates of Hell appeared. The great chains undid themselves and the gates swung open. Sona was on the ground, unnatural vitality struggling to keep her alive and she screamed in anguish as chains shot out and wrapped around her, lifting her from the ground.

"No! I am a demon! We don't die like this! _We don't die like this! You can't do this to me!"_ Her voice rose to a shriek, carrying over the battlefield and causing her minions to cower in fear. Many of them were already fleeing, scattering in terror at the downfall of their matriarch. More and more chains came, thicker and heavier than Byakuya had ever seen applied to any soul. But this was not a normal soul, it was a demon. Then great hands reached out from the gate and seized the chains, beginning to pull her within. "_**NO!"**_ Sona Maria writhed at the end of the chains and then screamed like the damned soul she was about to become as a spiked sword impaled her. And still she struggled, howling her defiance until the gates of Hell slammed shut behind her, silencing her screams.

Byakuya looked down at the body in his arms as it suddenly became lighter. To his surprise, he saw that Ichigo was dissolving into spirit particles. It was very fast for that… the bodies of shinigami lingered a while, and from what he had seen demons lingered even longer… but it was happening and tears pricked his eyes as he watched the golden particles dance into the sky. Spirit particles were usually blue. He'd never seen gold before, but it seemed right that Ichigo would be different.

"Ichigo." He whispered, watching as more and more spirit particles drifted free. Then he was holding nothing but air, with only the blood to say that Ichigo had ever existed. The particles swirled for a moment, forming into an orb of golden light. He watched, speechless, as a tiny rift formed. He couldn't tell where it was going to, but the little orb drifted to it and was swallowed in it. Then the rift closed. Had Ichigo's spirit returned to Soul Society? Was this how a hybrid died, no matter where they were? "Good bye." And he closed his eyes for a moment before taking a breath and picking up his sword.

He still had a duty to his Division. But later, he would mourn.

* * *

_Ichigo drifted through a haze of golden light, filled with a childlike curiosity._

_He was not really thinking, only feeling and experiencing as he instinctively followed the golden path. The light was beautiful and filled him with joy. And there was something good at the end of it. He could feel it through his entire soul._

_He finally passed through the golden path, and found he was in a forest. It was nothing like the real world, though. The colors were so intense, so brilliant that Ichigo knew any living being seeing them would be destroyed. Only the dead could accept this place, and find peace here as they waited for reincarnation._

"_Ichigo!" An unfamiliar voice called his name and Ichigo turned, surprised to find he had a body again. Although, strangely, he felt that something was missing from him. That feeling was relegated to unimportance as he looked at the strange man in front of him. He had spiky brown hair, thin facial hair and a smile on his face. Ichigo's breath caught in his throat as he saw the shape of the man's face and realized it bore a resemblance to his own._

"_Who?" He breathed, unable to believe it. But then a second figure stepped out from the trees, and he knew it instantly. A proud warrior with gold and white armor and short brown hair, his aura was instantly recognizable. "Zakanata!"_

"_Oh, you know my zanpakuto but not me? Ichigo, I am ashamed!" Isshin complained but Ichigo could tell he was joking. "Come give your father a hug!" With a gurgling laugh of pure, unadulterated joy, Ichigo caught his father in a bone crushing hug. "Ah watch it! You've grown up strong, Ichigo."_

"_You can't be hurt here, silly." He said to his father, grinning. He instinctively knew that there was no pain here. "Zakanata!" He abandoned his father for a moment to give the zanpakuto his own hug. The spirit seemed startled for a moment, then hugged him back energetically. "You could have at least said goodbye before you left! You scared the crap out of me! I almost had a breakdown before Zangetsu showed up!" Ichigo let the zanpakuto go and looked around. "Where is Zangetsu?" He looked around, puzzled. Shouldn't his zanpakuto be here too, awaiting his own rebirth?_

"_He's busy elsewhere." Isshin answered and Ichigo blinked as his father put his hands on his shoulders. "Let me look at you." Ichigo stood before his father and smiled as Isshin looked at him proudly. "I'm going to be a grandfather!"_

"_What? Oh." Ichigo glanced down at himself and was shocked to see the presence of a second soul within his own. He'd thought the nascent presence of the baby would dissolve completely, but it seemed that was not to be. It still looked like a beautiful flower, and Ichigo set his hand over it, hiding the radiance for a moment. "I'm dead, father. And even if I weren't, it couldn't have been born."_

"_It is still beautiful. Two souls dancing together, forever. It is a wonderful dance." Zakanata said and Ichigo shrugged with a smile. It was almost comforting, having his baby with him in the afterlife. He had a tiny bit of Byakuya with him and that was a beautiful thing._

"_Ichigo…" Ichigo's eyes snapped back to his father. Isshin sounded almost choked with emotion. "Before I died, your mother said, said that they would, would… did they…" Ichigo could see the answer Isshin desperately wanted, but he knew he couldn't lie here. It simply wasn't possible in this land of death and rebirth._

"_They did everything they said, and more." He said softly and touched his father's shoulder comfortingly. "But it doesn't matter, father. I found something worth living and dying for in the end. I am content." The pain of the past didn't matter anymore. Or at least, that was what he told himself, although the scars did remain._

"_You'll have to face it someday, son. That's how this place works." Isshin sounded worried, now. "That's why I couldn't go on… I was waiting for you, waiting for my boy. But how will you leave with those wounds on your heart?" Ichigo blinked at his father, wondering why it mattered._

"_I just got here, father. Why would I want to go quickly?" This was a bit baffling and as he looked between his father and his old zanpakuto, he had the strange feeling they were hiding something from him. But he couldn't begin to imagine what so he asked a question. "Can you tell me a story? Something about your family? I want to get to know you, father." It gave him a thrill just to say that word to Isshin. Finally, he had a father. His father smiled broadly and hugged him again._

"_Gladly! Let's all sit together and trade stories." And the three of them sat beneath the trees. Soon there was the sound of laughter, as Ichigo enjoyed his father's stories of his misspent youth. And a spirit wind swept through the trees, driving ahead small sparks of golden light._


	8. All Births Contain Pain

Leaving the desert was easier than getting in, but not by much.

The real problem was the water. They hadn't really thought about it, but without Ichigo calling the water out of the sands was insanely difficult. All the taichou working together had finally managed it, at ruinous cost to their power. Fortunately, all the demons seemed to be terrified by the manner of Sona Maria's death, and they were avoided.

But that was a problem too. The food was completely gone, and true to Zaraki's words, they'd had to start eating the demons. But with demons fleeing from them, that became difficult as well. Finally they'd approached a hive and threatened to destroy it if the demon lord inside did not give them supplies. If the demon lord had chosen to defy them things could have gone very badly, but instead he'd given them a load of fungus and body parts and told them to get out of his territory.

By the time they had reached the rift, everyone was feeling incredibly worn. And the rift itself was clearly in the process of destabilizing. Byakuya could only thank the stars that it was still open and they all hurried through it before it could truly close. The air of Soul Society had never been sweeter and they were greeted with water, real food and towels.

"We'll have to stay until the rift finally closes." Renji said, glancing back, and Byakuya nodded. "Taichou… are you going to be okay?" Byakuya stared at his fukutaichou for a moment, surprised by the question. But he managed to dredge up a small smile from somewhere.

"I will be fine, Renji." It was a lie, and he knew it, but there was nothing to be done. The pain in his heart now was like the pain he'd felt for Hisana, but also different. It felt… purer, less tainted by regrets. Hisana had died trying to bear his child, which had hurt him in so many ways. Ichigo had died to save them all, which was painful but at least did not wound him with guilt. "I will recover." He amended his statement and felt it was more the truth. He would eventually recover, although it might take decades. "We need to go over the casualties." The casualties in the final battle had been dreadful. The rank and file of the divisions had been decimated, several fukutaichou had been lost, and they had been very lucky not to lose any taichou. It had been close with Sajin, but the taichou of the 7th had pulled through. They hadn't paused to take any kind of head count before they left, so Byakuya wasn't even sure who was alive and who was dead.

"It's going to be awful. I'm just glad I survived." Renji grimaced as he flexed his arm and Byakuya nodded. A demon had very nearly torn it off, but someone else had killed it before it could finish his fukutaichou. "And the other Divisions are just as bad."

"Some are worse." Byakuya said absently as he glanced over the camp. The wounded were being settled in and treated by the medics. On the way back, they'd brought all the wounded they could, but many had expired on the march. "But against this enemy, it could have been worse. We will recover." The next class from the academy would be in very high demand. Byakuya frowned to himself as he plotted how to snatch the very best away from his fellow taichou's.

Thinking about things like that took his mind off the pain.

* * *

_Ichigo lay on the ground beside his father, feeling utterly content. It made him wonder why he'd delayed coming here so long. He could have given up at any time, and someone would have been happy to eat his heart. But if he'd done that, he would never have met Byakuya and the other shinigami. He would never have known what it really meant to be a shinigami._

"_Ichigo?" Ichigo blinked, opening sleepy golden eyes as Isshin touched his shoulder. His father looked sad but proud. "It's time."_

"_Time for what?" He said drowsily, then sat bolt upright as he felt something. It was almost painful, and Ichigo whimpered as he felt things stirring inside him, memories and pains that he just wanted to forget. "Father, what's happening?" He asked breathlessly as a red light began to appear in front of them. It was swirling slowly and looked malignant to the shocked hybrid. He'd thought he was safe here. What was this?_

"_It's time for you to go back, Ichigo." Disbelieving gold eyes met sad brown. "It's also time for me to go to my rebirth. I regret that we've only had this time together, but we both need to go."_

"_B-But… I just got here!" He protested, looking back at the red light. It was forming a tunnel, and he did not want to touch it, let alone step inside of it. He could sense that it promised pain. Terrible, soul breaking pain. "What if I don't want to?" Could he ignore this, and just remain?_

"_You can ignore it, and it will go away." Isshin admitted. "But then you will never see Byakuya… and your baby will go unborn." Ichigo's breath caught in his throat and he shook his head violently._

"_It can't be born anyway! Father, what are you saying?" He looked at Isshin, demanding answers with hot golden eyes. Isshin looked away, and it was Zakanata that gave him the answer he needed._

"_Ichigo, the Soul King is rebuilding your body, in honor of your service. He is almost done, and now he is trying to call your spirit home. He has changed you so the child can be born, but you must return or it will be in vain." Ichigo nodded, but his eyes didn't leave his father. Isshin was staring at the red light, and there was pain on his father's face._

"_You will have to face yours pains and fears to return. Ichigo…" Isshin hugged him again and Ichigo hugged him back, feeling the guilt and pain weighing down his father's heart._

"_Don't blame yourself, father." He whispered into the older man's ear. "It was never your fault, and I love you. Go to your rebirth, and I'll go to mine." It was frightening, almost terrifying, but he would dare this tunnel of red light if that was what it took to return to Byakuya. A second chance was far too precious to throw away. Isshin pulled away with a smile, ruffling his hair one last time._

"_Goodbye, Ichigo." He and Zakanata watched as the hybrid stepped up to the tunnel of red light, and began the painful process of returning to life._

_They could only hope he would succeed._

* * *

_Ichigo felt like he had been walking through the red light forever._

_Unlike the golden light that had brought him to the place of death and rebirth, this red light seemed to slice his skin, reminding him of pain and bringing up memories of suffering. It hurt, but he kept walking anyway, ignoring the swirling walls of the tunnel._

_Abruptly, things changed. Ichigo's nose wrinkled as he was assaulted by the smell of blood and rot. Before, that would have excited him and made him look for a meal. But right now, it revolted him._

"_Because you're too fucking soft." Came a soft, dark hiss and Ichigo turned around. He was standing in a cave of red stone that reminded him of the stone in the demon sands. There were dozens of stalactites and stalagmites, which was unusual. Such things required water to form and the demon sands had none of that. Then he swallowed as he realized that blood was slowly dripping from them, oozing into puddles on the floor._

"_Who are you?" He called to the voice, turning around. He could see no one, and couldn't feel a presence. The voice laughed mockingly, echoing so he couldn't begin to locate it. Then there was the soft sound of a foot on stone and Ichigo whirled just in time to block a strike at his face. His eyes widened as he stared into golden eyes filled with battle lust._

"_I'm you, you stupid fuck." Ichigo stared into the face that was identical to his in every way. Although he only grinned like that during battle. "Now fight me, you bastard!"_

"_Wh-what?" Ichigo barely had time to get his sword up before the blades clashed again. His duplicate was not fighting with Zangetsu, he was using a sword of bone. It reminded Ichigo of something but he didn't have time to think about it as he frantically defended himself against the onslaught. But after a few moments he mastered the surprise and began pushing back. His other self laughed in pure enjoyment, savoring the strong battle they were having. Swords clashed, raising sparks and the bone sword slipped past his guard, slashing Ichigo's shoulder. He hissed in pain as the sword burnt him like it was white hot. Then he nicked his enemy with Zangetsu, and was pleased to see a similar reaction. "Why… am I fighting you?" Ichigo managed to say as his enemy leapt up, coming down on him in a dangerous spiral attack. But he knew that attack, he'd performed it many times, and managed to kick his duplicate in the face._

"_Why? Are you stupid?" His enemy taunted him as they circled around, measuring each other. "HAH!" The attacks came again, fast and furious, but this time with focus added. Damnation after Damnation hit each other, sparking and exploding. Both of them were seared by the forces released in a confined space. They finally separated again, both of them panting heavily. "Since you're thick as fuck, I'll tell you. I am what you fear." The demon across from him suddenly drove his bone sword into the ground and walked towards him. Ichigo hesitated, unsure if he should strike out or not. Then the decision was taken out of his hand as his double slammed into him, pinning him to the wall. Zangetsu was driven into the floor, just like the bone sword. "I am the part of you that longs to kill, just to watch the blood spill. I am the part of you that wants to see what it would be like to snap a pretty little collar on Hikana and make the bitch suck you off." Ichigo's eyes went wide as his duplicate grinned viciously. "Or that other demon, the one who looked a little like Renji, remember him? What would it be like to rape him the way he-"_

"_SHUT UP! I never do that!" Ichigo writhed in his double's grip, struggling to break free. "I refuse to do that! That's not what I am!" That was one line he had never, ever crossed. Demons did it all the time, but Ichigo's shinigami side found the thought of doing what had been done to him utterly revolting. "Get off me! I'm nothing like you!"_

"_That's where you're wrong, bitch." The golden eyes looking into his were hot with pleasure and bereft of any kind of pity. "I am you. I am the part of you that terrifies you, and if you can't accept that, I'll play with you and you'll never get out of this room. Now, where were we?" His duplicate laughed, a soulless sound that made Ichigo shudder. Then his eyes widened as a hard hand slapped down between his legs._

"_Way of Damnation 62: White Fire Roaring!" Ichigo snapped then watched in horror as the focus seemed to just bleed away. "What?" His other self's mouth began to ravage his throat, making him shudder in a combination of arousal and disgust. Then his duplicate stopped the attention long enough to talk._

"_That only worked because I wanted to fight. Now I want to fuck. If you want to stop me you need to think a bit harder." Ichigo closed his eyes, trying to ignore his body and figure out what that meant. This dark image of himself was the embodiment of his fears of his demon heritage. That made sense, although until now Ichigo had thought he'd embraced his dark side. Apparently, he'd never allowed himself to realize how dark it really was. He must have known, deep inside, and been afraid. But what could he do about it?_

"_I have to accept you?" He hazarded a guess then squirmed as his double began pulling off his clothing. "Stop that! Help me!"_

"_Why should I?" He breathed into Ichigo's face and the hybrid pulled his head away, nauseated by the charnel reek. His breath smelled like Sona's. "How do demons accept each other?" He asked and Ichigo went still as he thought about it. How did demons accept each other?_

"_Way of Suffering 99: Soul Suction!" He never should have been able to perform that focus. He'd never been into pointless cruelty, so his Suffering was among his weakest skills. But he suddenly knew that it didn't matter. This was a place of the mind and his intention was what mattered. His duplicate laughed as the black tendrils sank into him greedily and Ichigo arched in pain as part of his power returned to him in a burst of dark glory. It tasted bitter on the tongue and smelled like rot, but he forced himself to accept it and not turn aside. Finally his double was gone and Ichigo sank to his knees as the cavern around him vanished, turning back into that pathway of red._

_He hoped the next challenge would be easier._

* * *

_The next challenge was easier. It was also heart breaking._

_It was the scent that hit Ichigo first. The stench he had come to associate with a demon hive, it was a combination of earthy fungi, blood, rock oil and the stale tang of old sex. It didn't bother him at all, except when the musk of sex was very strong._

_It was strong here, almost cloying, and Ichigo covered his face with one hand, breathing through his mouth for a moment as he adjusted. That scent brought back all kinds of memories, which he supposed was probably the point. Then his eyes widened as he saw the little body chained to a wall, cowering in fear._

"_Oh." He stared at it for a moment before dropping to his knees beside the little boy and reaching out to touch bloody orange hair. "I was so small." It was strange, seeing himself from the outside like this, as he'd been as a child. There was a whimper from the little boy before fearful golden eyes looked up._

"_Mama?" Ichigo felt his heart clench at that hopeful whisper. He could still remember the pain of it. The demons had wanted him to survive to adulthood, so his mother had been kind to him for a while. When the abuse had started, he had called for her, tried to get her to save him. It had been utterly futile but it had taken him years to understand that, even as she helped her family in their efforts to break him._

"_We don't have a mama." He whispered to the hurting little boy, reaching up to undo the chains. "We have a father who loved us, but we don't have a mama." The boy whimpered and started to cry._

"_Mama!" Ichigo shuddered and gathered the representation of his pain to his chest, comforting the boy the way he had never been comforted. "Mama… mama…" The hopeless longing in the child's voice hurt him in ways he hadn't felt in centuries. But Ichigo faced the pain, and faced that he'd never quite gotten over it. He'd always wanted his mother to love him._

"_I accept this." He whispered and watched as the child began to vanish. "I don't have a mother, but I want one. I accept the pain." The pain settled back into his soul and Ichigo bowed his head for a moment, tears stinging his eyes. Then he took a deep breath and stood._

_There would be at least one more challenge. He could feel it._

* * *

_The final challenge was the easiest, but also the strangest._

_Ichigo looked around, surprised, as he found himself in a garden. He wasn't sure it was a real garden, though. It was the image he'd created in his mind from Byakuya's words, and he suspected he'd gotten a great deal of it wrong. But he knew what water looked like, and stone, so maybe the waterfalls looked right. The trickling sound of the water was based on what he knew of the drip of blood, and Ichigo sighed to himself. He wanted to see a real garden, not something out of his head. Then he heard a soft wail and blinked._

"_What…?" That sound tugged on his heartstrings and he began searching the garden, trying to find it. He noticed as he searched that all the flowers were pansies, the only flowers he really knew, if only a bit. They looked soft and fuzzy and he wondered if they were supposed to. "Oh!" He stopped in front of a large bed of pansies, staring at the tiny form lying in the middle of them. Without hesitation, he scooped the baby up and cuddled him close. "What are you supposed to be?" He murmured to the infant, stroking pure black hair. Brown eyes, shot delicately with golden threads, blinked at him as the crying stopped. "You're so pretty." He whispered, taking in the little boy. He was perfectly formed, with tiny little fingers and toes. Feeling a sudden dread, Ichigo checked his sex and heaved a sigh of relief to see he was a perfectly normal boy. "What are you doing here?" He asked, sitting down beside the bed of pansies. The baby couldn't answer, just cooing up at him adoringly. Ichigo found himself smiling back, his heart captivated by the bundle in his arms. Then his eyes widened as he realized what this must be._

"_You're mine, aren't you? Mine and Byakuya's." He said to the infant who just smiled and reached for him with tiny hands. Ichigo gave him a finger to hold, smiling back. "I'm calling you Little Flower for now. Byakuya can name you, if you make it." He wasn't going to deny the possibility of death. He didn't know what the Soul Kind had done to his body, but giving birth would not be easy. His hips were not designed for it. "But what am I supposed to do?" Ichigo said worriedly, still cuddling the boy. "I can't absorb you." Little Flower was not part of his soul, he was a separate person. The baby just gurgled in joy, catching a bit of his sleeve. "You're not much help!" He told the child, laughing as the baby gave him a wet, happy smile. Then Ichigo's smile faded as he wondered what might be holding him here._

"_I'm afraid I won't be a good parent." He confided in the child. "I'm afraid I'll hurt you." He stroked that soft black hair, enjoying the feel of the strands. "But even demon mothers don't usually hurt their children." His situation had been unusual. He had been birthed for the ritual, which required that he possess the full power of a demon lord… yet also required his death. His mother's family had never hoped for Ichigo's willing cooperation so they had tried to break him. "I will be a good parent to you." He pledged to the child, standing up with the boy in his arms. "I think… you have to come with me." This would be Little Flower's rebirth, too. Or before birth? It was confusing. "Let's go." The garden was dissolving into red, and Ichigo walked down the tunnel again, protecting Little Flower from the pain with his body. The child still whimpered in fear and Ichigo did his best to comfort him._

_All births contained some pain._

* * *

Byakuya looked at the papers on his desk, feeling empty and tired.

He had just finished attending a special ceremony. A statue had been placed in the peace gardens, dedicated to Kurosaki Ichigo, and he had been posthumously entered into the lists of shinigami. His name had also been entered into the Kurosaki clan records, the only honor that small clan could give him. Everyone knew how many shinigami would have died without Ichigo's sacrifice and they wanted to honor his memory.

It had been beautiful, but it had also been painful, and Byakuya was glad it was over. It had been almost nine months since that titanic conflict, and there was no sign of any further demonic problems. Hopefully, another fifty thousand years would pass before the demons tried again. Then he blinked as a hell butterfly landed on his desk.

_Kuchiki Byakuya, you are summoned to the Royal court. Please report at once._ Byakuya blinked then immediately rose from his desk, walking briskly through the door. The curt summons was a surprise, to say the least, but it was not one he could disobey. Ice trickled down his spine as he thought about it. Normally, if he were being summoned for something positive, there would be some explanation. Yet he could think of absolutely nothing he had done to cause the Soul King to look at him with disfavor.

Using the gate to travel to the Royal court was not as simple as entering the Living world, but with a royal summons in hand it was easy. Byakuya stepped into the pocket dimension, seeing it for the very first time. The colors seemed more vivid here, and the reishi was almost overpowering. Feeling invigorated and almost happy, he walked to the gates of the royal compound and bowed before the guards.

"Kuchiki Byakuya, reporting as ordered." He said and the guards stepped back as the gates swung open. Byakuya stepped inside, then stopped dead as his heart seized in his chest and he looked upon a face he'd thought he would never see again.

"Hi." Ichigo was standing in front of him, wearing a black yukata decorated with red roses, bound with a red sash. He was smiling and holding a tiny bundle, wrapped in a matching silk blanket. Byakuya stared in disbelief, grey eyes meeting gold.

"Ichigo?" He said softly, stepping forward until he could lay a hand against the hybrid's cheek. The skin was soft, softer than he remembered, and warm. Alive. "How?" He asked breathlessly, then looked down and got a second shock. The bundle Ichigo was holding was a sleeping baby, pink and adorable. "You died." There was no question of that. Ichigo nodded, pain flashing for a moment in those gold eyes.

"Yes, I did. But the Soul King gathered my spirit particles and tried to put me back together. No one told you they were trying because they didn't know if it would work." Ichigo swallowed and raised his chin. "And after it did, I asked them not to tell you until Little Flower was born. I was afraid he wouldn't make it."

"Ichigo, I would have liked to see the birth." Byakuya said, his mind still trying to process everything. Was this real, or was he hallucinating? Ichigo grimaced and shook his head.

"No, you wouldn't have." He said definitely. "It was awful. Really, really bad. I puked three times and they finally had to break my pelvis to get Little Flower through, since my stupid body kept healing when they tried to cut me open." Byakuya blinked and the reality of it suddenly crashed down on his mind. There was no way his imagination would have come up with that birth image. Which meant…

"Ichigo." He hugged the demon boy, taking care not to squeeze the baby. He still woke up, though, and Byakuya looked down to meet eyes still blue from the birth. "He's so beautiful. Little Flower?" He questioned. That was a very strange name. Ichigo grinned.

"I wanted you to give him a proper name, something that would make him fit in." He cuddled the boy carefully, soothing him back to sleep. "He'll already have enough trouble with me as a 'mother', I don't want to buy more for him!" Ichigo joked, and they both looked up in surprise as someone cleared his throat. Byakuya felt a moment of embarrassment as he realized several nobles of the Royal family had surrounded them and he hadn't even noticed, completely lost in his moment with Ichigo.

"I hate to interrupt, but the Soul King would like you to prepare for your wedding." A solemn young woman said and Byakuya nodded. He'd realized that was coming as soon as he saw the infant. As a clan leader, his heir could not exist outside of wedlock. It was a minor disgrace that the baby had been born outside of it, but under the circumstances that could be overlooked. However… he glanced at Ichigo, who was looking mildly puzzled but happy.

"Is this what you want?" He asked the hybrid softly. Ichigo blinked at him, then shrugged.

"I don't really understand it." He confessed. "It seems strange, making a pledge to be with only one person when I've decided that already." That gave him a warm feeling, hearing Ichigo say that. "And I don't understand the legitimate thing at all, Little Flower might as well have your name tattooed on his butt." There was a laugh from the nobles around them as Byakuya blushed faintly. "But if this is what you need, I'm happy to do it. I love you, Byakuya."

"Thank you." Byakuya said gratefully, putting aside concerns for the future. A dead hybrid hero had been far more convenient than the living reality, in some ways. And how would his clan react to a child conceived by a half-demon? The smallest brush of his senses assured him that the child was almost entirely shinigami, but there was a trace of demon there, a brush of Ichigo's darker half. It didn't bother him – denying it would be denying Ichigo – but he didn't know what the clan would decide. But that was all for the future, and he took Ichigo's hand as they followed the nobles. It would take some time to prepare for their wedding, and normally that would be done separately, but he was not going to be separated from Ichigo.

Never again.


	9. Domestication

Author's note: This might be the final chapter. I'm not sure if I should continue this fic any farther. If I do, the threat will probably be from Soul Society… let me know what you think! Thanks!

"It's so funny." Ichigo said drowsily, lying in the garden. His baby boy was asleep on his belly and they presented a truly bucolic picture. "I feel as much like a dangerous demon as a pampered lap dog feels like a wolf."

"You look pampered." Byakuya agreed. Ichigo was the picture of good health. He'd put on a tiny layer of fat, enough to soften the sharp edges of his face slightly, although it did nothing to hide his beautiful muscles. "Especially with Sojun sleeping on you." He said the boy's name with a moment of pleasure. Since Ichigo had given him the chance to name the boy, he'd decided to name him after his father. Byakuya only wished his father had lived to see this, although he had no idea what he would have made of his mate.

No one in the clan had any idea what to make of him. They were scheduled to be formally married in Soul Society next week. Byakuya would have preferred a quiet, private ceremony, and Ichigo would have as well, but they had obligations to the clan. And since Ichigo was now officially a member of the Kurosaki clan, this was in some ways a joining between the Kuchiki and Shihoin clan. Of course, the Kurosaki clan had added Ichigo's name to the clan roles when they thought he was dead. Byakuya wondered if they were regretting it.

A smile touched his lips as he thought about the reactions of Soul Society as a whole. As he'd anticipated, a dead hero had been more convenient than the living reality. The demon boy was an honorary shinigami, which meant he couldn't be denied a place in the Divisions, if he cared to claim it. Yamamoto was actually fairly accepting, but Central 46 was not at all happy. It didn't help that technically, most of Ichigo's focus counted as forbidden kido. He could have been sentenced to death just for existing, if they hadn't made a hero of him.

That thought made the smile vanish, and Byakuya reached down to pet his boy's hair. The child's inheritance was another difficult question. The Council was still debating it, as they were afraid the child might take after his demonic heritage. Byakuya wished he thought they were being ridiculous, but he knew better. He could detect the demonic reiatsu as a small smudge in his child's aura. Of course, Ichigo's demonic reiatsu was infinitely stronger, yet he was perfectly shinigami in his mind. So perhaps the elders were being too cautious.

"You're brooding again. You really shouldn't. I'm so happy now, I can't believe it." Ichigo opened his eyes, giving Byakuya a loving look. "I have you and Sojun, lots of food and a bed. I've never had a bed before. What more could I want?"

"You are very easy to please." Byakuya shook his head with a smile. "Are you certain you don't mind being examined by Mayuri?" That was concerning to him. He hadn't wanted to allow the scientist any access to his mate and child, but Yamamoto had overruled him. However, he had been assured there would be nothing at all invasive done. Byakuya planned to check on Ichigo frequently, and he would have one person from his Division there at all times.

"Byakuya, trying to enter a strange demon hive is an arduous process. I even tried it a few times, until I realized I couldn't stomach the sexual requirements. Believe me, I'll be fine." Ichigo glanced down at his child, gently petting Sojun's hair. "Although if he tries to hurt our baby, I'll eat his heart." Ichigo said fiercely and Byakuya smiled, although a bit sadly.

The truth was, he wasn't sure Ichigo would be able to eat Mayuri's heart anymore. The changes the Soul King had made to his body had been necessary for Sojun's birth, but Ichigo was far more fragile than he had before. The bone plates protecting his organs were gone, and his whole body was almost shinigami soft. He still regenerated as quickly as always, but it was much easier for him to take grievous wounds. His power was still equal to that of a Taichou, but Byakuya couldn't help but worry for Ichigo now. He was far more fragile than he had been before.

"There will always be someone from my Division watching over you. Do not be afraid to refuse if something is too difficult." Byakuya told him softly and Ichigo nodded, eyes slipping closed again as he enjoyed the sunshine. Byakuya wished he didn't have to disturb him, but it was nearly time. "Ichigo, we have a Council meeting. You should be there." He gently reminded the hybrid then leaned back as Ichigo scooped up Sojun and sat up, instantly alert and glancing up at the sky.

"It's that late?" Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he judged the position of the sun. "Ah, it is! Can you take Sojun while I go change?" He was wearing a very casual yukata, not really appropriate wear. Byakuya nodded, taking the little boy, who awoke with an unhappy squall.

"We should leave him with the wet nurse, so he won't disrupt the meeting." Byakuya said and Ichigo nodded with a small grimace. The hybrid didn't like letting his child out of his sight, and he also didn't much care for the fact that he needed help feeding Sojun. Although technically, Ichigo could have handled that by feeding the baby his blood and reiatsu. That was, apparently, how young demons often fed when their mother had a large litter and Sojun took to it readily. But they were trying to avoid reminding everyone of Ichigo's and the baby's inhuman natures, so a wet nurse was preferable.

It didn't take Ichigo long to prepare himself. He came out wearing a formal kimono of dark green silk, belted with wide, tawny gold silk. The color of the belt matched his eyes. There was very little that could be done with Ichigo's too short hair, but a jade dragon had been clipped to the back of his head, and he was wearing a matching pendant. Ichigo's attendant, a very pleasant young man named Kino, looked to Byakuya for approval. Byakuya nodded and he bowed before retreating. Byakuya handed off Sojun to Kino's wife, a very sweet young woman named Elsani. She had finished weaning her own child only a month ago, and was serving very well to feed young Sojun. She also adored the little baby, which was just as important as the milk.

Much of the Council meeting was routine business, and Byakuya could sense Ichigo falling asleep with his eyes open. Apparently, that was a common demonic ability and the hybrid had perfected the art a long time ago. Part of Ichigo's mind was still aware of what was happening around him, so it wasn't as restful as true sleep, but it was a good way to pass the time. Byakuya almost wished he could follow the demon boy's example, but squashed the impulse. His grandfather would have been ashamed.

"Now, we must again address the situation of the Kuchiki heir." The head of the Council said with an ill disguised sigh. They had been debating this off and on since Ichigo and Byakuya had returned, child in tow. Getting agreement was proving surprisingly difficult. The Council had been onto him for literally years to marry again and produce an heir, so on one hand they welcomed the child. But they would have vastly preferred a half-peasant child to the offspring of a half-demon. It was all quite confusing.

"Mmm, may I speak please?" Ichigo suddenly said, catching everyone's attention as Byakuya cringed internally. Ichigo really didn't have to ask for permission that way, but his demon lover was trying to be on his very best behavior. It was a little unnatural to see.

"Of course, Kurosaki Ichigo." The head of the Council, Lord Ganroi, said politely. "We are always pleased to hear your words." That was probably even true. Ganroi had spent some time talking to Ichigo and was actually getting rather fond of the hybrid.

"I've been thinking about Sojun. Could we just defer this decision until he comes of age? I think it's quite possible that without any outside reinforcement, his demonic nature will fade over time." Ichigo said and there was a silence as the Council considered it.

"What reason do you have to believe that?" One of the ladies on the Council asked skeptically, and Ichigo shrugged.

"Only personal experience." He replied honestly. "I gained power over time by defeating and devouring powerful demons, and maintained my power with lesser demons. I've noticed my focus becoming weaker since I came here and started eating shinigami food. So it's possible that as long as I don't reinforce that side of his nature, it may begin to vanish." Byakuya frowned. That was the first he'd heard of Ichigo's focus becoming weaker, although it didn't surprise him. He'd noticed that Ichigo had stopped trying to master Oblivion Sphere. "My shinigami side seems to be gaining strength." Byakuya blinked, wondering if that meant that Ichigo's kido was improving. Mayuri would probably be very interested. Glancing around, he could see that many members of the council liked this idea. It would let them defer their judgement for quite a long time.

"If Lord Byakuya dies prematurely, however, it will leave the succession up for debate." Someone observed and Byakuya nodded. That was an obvious complication. "But we could set up an interim guardian for the child. Forgive me, Kurosaki, but it would probably be better if that guardian was not you." Ichigo frowned, clearly unhappy with that idea. Byakuya gently touched his arm. He understood what the council was saying even if Ichigo didn't. They didn't trust the hybrid to teach Sojun what he needed to know of noble ways, and they were quite right in that.

"As long as you understand that I will never be parted from him." Ichigo said with muted rebellion. "And this is all pointless anyway. Byakuya is strong, he is not going to die tomorrow." The hybrid said firmly and Ganroi reacted with a small laugh.

"Perhaps you are right. I think we should evaluate the child at, hmm, ten and eighteen to determine the progress of his demonic reiatsu, then make a final determination. All in favor?" The motion carried almost unanimously and Byakuya was glad to see the debate ended, although he couldn't help but be a bit unhappy by the nature of the ending. He wanted Sojun to enjoy his birthright. It seemed wrong that he might be denied it because Ichigo was different. The Council meeting finally ended and they escaped to their quarters.

"Aw, who's a little bug?" Ichigo said in delight as he walked into their room and Byakuya blinked. He was no expert on babies, but wasn't Sojun a bit young to be crawling? "Yes, yes you are!" Ichigo picked up his newborn and tickled him as Byakuya glanced at Elsani and motioned her aside.

"He seems very young to be crawling." He said quietly and she nodded, relief quickly flashing across her face.

"He's very young, my lord. He's also much larger than he should be. I didn't want to mention it, but I think he is aging quickly." She said, just as softly, and Byakuya glanced at Ichigo and their child. Ichigo was gently encouraging the baby to move around and as he watched, he sensed a gentle transfer of reiatsu between the two of them. It was warm, loving and completely natural but there was a demonic component to it.

"I see." Byakuya watched them for a moment and couldn't help but be afraid for the future. How fast would his child grow up? And what did this mean?

He simply didn't know.

* * *

"Hmm, a very large child for his age." Ichigo watched patiently as Kurotsuchi measured and weighed Sojun. The amusing part was that the baby was clearly absolutely enthralled by the scientist. It was probably all the gold around his face, Sojun definitely had a liking for glittery things. "You said he's crawling?"

"Yes. That's normal for a demon child. They stay cute for almost as long as shinigami, but it's better for them if they start to walk very early. It helps in case the mother gets bored." Ichigo replied. Trusting to demonic maternal instincts was chancy at best, so demons became semi-independent quite quickly. "Language skills come slower, being able to move around is critical." If necessary, a mobile baby demon could feed on fungi or the leftovers of other's kills. He or she could also flee if an older demon decided they looked like a snack.

"Fascinating. That's not at all normal for a shinigami of this age, you know." Ichigo blinked at him and shook his head. He hadn't known that. "Yet there's very little demonic reiatsu in him. If you don't mind, I would like you to stay here for an hour or two, just interacting as you usually do. Nemu will be monitoring."

"Well, if you want." Ichigo said, a little mystified by the request. But he didn't understand how science worked at all, really. Demons weren't into that sort of thing. Sojun screwed up his little face and began to cry. "Ah, that's a hungry cry. Would you like to see how demons feed their babies when they have too many?" Ichigo offered. The wet nurse wasn't here, and he'd figured Mayuri would be interested in seeing this anyway. The scientist flicked a hand at him in silent consent, and Ichigo cut his arm with his nails. Blood welled out of the thin gashes and before they could heal, he pressed the wound against Sojun's mouth.

The baby immediately latched on, and Ichigo winced faintly at the pain. But then he smiled, letting his reiatsu flow into the blood and into his waiting child. The baby was a little energy sponge and gladly accepted every bit he could get. Ichigo tried to keep the power pure shinigami, though. He didn't want his child taking in more demonic power than he had to.

"Intriguing! But from my other tests, you should have healed wounds that small immediately. How was he able to keep them open to drink from you?" Mayuri didn't seem at all taken aback by the display, although the guard from Byakuya's Division was looking a little green. Ichigo shrugged.

"I'm not sure, but I think it could be his saliva. Or maybe some kind of natural reaction from my body to the baby drain. You're right, something definitely keeps the wounds open for him." Ichigo agreed. He didn't know exactly what it was, but his body should be healing much too fast for Sojun to suckle. The baby finally let go with a small pop and Ichigo looked at his arm. The wounds finally healed, but it took a little while. "Who's a good baby? Yes, yes you are." Sojun gave him a wet smile and Ichigo smiled back, gently wiping off the baby's cheek.

"So many possibilities… excuse me…" Ichigo just nodded as Mayuri left the room, and stayed playing with Sojun as Nemu monitored. He even got the guard involved, encouraging the baby to crawl to him. Then the guard would turn his son around and they would encourage him to crawl back. Sojun seemed to feel it was a great game. Then Byakuya arrived to take them both to lunch.

"Did everything go well?" Byakuya asked, concerned, as they walked through the Seireitei. Ichigo shrugged, hand on Sojun's back. He had the baby in a sling, lying comfortably against his chest and belly.

"I think so. The tests were all non-invasive and Sojun seemed to really like Mayuri." Ichigo grinned at Byakuya's expression. "I think it was all the gold on him. Sojun likes glittery things. I did show him how I can feed our baby, and he seemed very interested in that."

"Hm. A relatively harmless thing, I suppose." Byakuya still sounded less than thrilled and Ichigo reached over to gently take his hand, giving him a squeeze. He knew Byakuya would be worrying about both him and Sojun until all the tests were over.

"I'm just hoping he can come up with an effective anesthetic for me. I'd like Sojun to have siblings someday." That put a real smile on Byakuya's face and Ichigo smiled back, pleased to have cheered him up. "Where are we going for lunch?" There were plenty of very nice restaurants in the Seireitei, and they were going to try one.

"A new place called Chico's. Apparently, it does tapas. That's a Living World term that means 'little plates'." Byakuya explained. "You order small plates and share them." That intrigued Ichigo immediately.

"So you get to try lots of different things? That sounds good!" He was more than willing to give that a try. "Renji and Rukia are coming too, right?" Ichigo asked and Byakuya nodded. "Great. It will be good to see them." He saw Rukia all the time, of course, but Renji not nearly as much. The redhead rarely came to the Kuchiki manor.

As they walked, Ichigo gazed over the Seireitei curiously. Despite the time he'd spent in the Spirit Realm, then at the Kuchiki manor, this whole world felt new and amazing to him. There was always something he hadn't seen before, some new object to learn the term for. Ichigo smiled to himself at the thought. Who could have imagined there would be so many different kinds of flowers? He wanted know them all.

"Hey, Kurosaki!" The both stopped at that bellow and Ichigo turned, surprised, to see a grinning Zaraki standing there. "I've been looking for you. I want to spar with your demonic ass!" Ichigo laughed, unoffended, although Byakuya's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Well, we can't do it today." He said, amused and pointed to his baby. Sojun was still sleeping soundly, protected from Zaraki's errant reiatsu by the strength of his 'mother'. Zaraki scowled but looked at the baby for a moment before grinning again. "But if you have time tomorrow we could meet somewhere nice and flat, with no buildings to damage." He wasn't about to unload against Zaraki in the middle of the Seireitei. He might not be able to use Oblivion Sphere anymore, but he was still quite dangerous and Zaraki was, if anything, even worse.

"Yeah, yeah, the practice ground for the Division is shielded. Meet me after the freak finishes with you tomorrow, hey? I'll be waiting. Kuchiki can show you the way." Zaraki said as Byakuya nodded, expressionless. "Don't get your shorts in a knot, Byakuya. I won't kill the new mother." Ichigo blushed at that description of himself, looking down at Sojun again. "And he heals so fast, you won't even notice the cuts."

"Ichigo has agreed to spar with you, Zaraki. I will see that he gets there." Byakuya said with frigid courtesy and Ichigo blinked at him. His husband really didn't seem happy about this. Zaraki just shrugged and watched them leave. "Ichigo, you do not have to spar with him if you do not want to." Byakuya said once they were out of earshot and Ichigo shrugged, unconcerned.

"He's right, I'm still healing as fast as ever. Unless he gets me in the heart or spine, or decapitates me, I'll be fine. I'm tough Bya." Byakuya smiled at that pet name for himself and shook his head, but desisted. "I really wish I still had Oblivion Sphere though." The fact that he could no longer summon the power for the difficult focus bothered him. Ichigo wondered if there was, perhaps, a trick to it. Was there some way to use his shinigami half in his focus spells? Or his demonic half in his kido spells? He'd always kept them strictly separate, so he had no real idea. And there were no other hybrids to teach him.

"It's probably just as well that you don't. Too many of your focus are forbidden kido." Byakuya said and Ichigo frowned before nodding. Oblivion Sphere actually wasn't one of those. The Way of Mercy was most problematic, from a shinigami perspective, since many parts of it involved a demon sacrificing a bit of his power to a subordinate. Apparently, self-sacrifice was forbidden kido. The other main category of forbidden kido was spells that manipulated space and time, and Ichigo didn't know anything like that. As far as he knew, demons did not practice any such focus.

"It makes me less threatening, anyway." Ichigo said with a sigh. He wished that wasn't necessary, but he knew it was wise. It did make him wonder a little, though. Would he ever be truly accepted into this place?

He would just have to see.

* * *

Ichigo smiled as he looked down at his formal kimono. Instead of the black and red one that he'd first married Byakuya in, his second ceremony would be done wearing a dark green kimono embroidered with sakura blossoms. His hair was beginning to grow out a little, but it was still too short to permit any elaborate arrangements, so he was wearing a jade clip in the shape of a sakura tree.

Sojun would be there, held by Elsani. Ichigo's smile warmed at the thought and he stepped out confidently. He had been practicing the ceremony for days. It was going to be more complicated than what had been done in the Spirit Realm. To Ichigo's surprise, he'd found out that had actually been a very simple and unceremonious marriage, for a noble couple. This would be the full ceremony.

It went on forever. Ichigo was tempted at several points to fall asleep with his eyes open, but Byakuya would notice and be angry. Rightly so, given that this was a sacred ritual. Sojun got fussy and needed to be changed midway through, and Ichigo watched as Elsani took him out. But finally, two little birds were released. That was the final step and Ichigo watched as they fluttered through the air, then arrowed through the skylight together. He smiled to himself, pleased. From what Byakuya had said, that was a good omen.

With everything done, it was finally time for the party. Ichigo was not oblivious to people's feelings about him. When he'd lived in his mother's demon hive, he'd learned how to read emotions in a desperate attempt to avoid the worst of the abuse. Demons were fully capable of being incredibly two-faced, and his mother's kin had loved playing games with him. So he knew many of the nobles attending the wedding and party were dubious about him at best, contemptuous at worst. Ichigo smiled sweetly at them all, enduring it until he could reach his real friends. Although plenty of the nobles did wish them well and mean it. The sweetest was the little old lady who had come to represent the Kurosaki clan. She'd been chosen because she was Isshin's mother, and his grandmother. Ichigo had been a bit shocked at that, but it turned out shinigami could live as long as two thousand years. He'd really had no idea of their lifespans.

"Your father would be so proud of you." She said, her eyes still bright and clear despite her age as she took his hand. Ichigo smiled, a bit sadly. "I wish he could have seen his grandchild. He was such a dear boy." She said sadly before squeezing his hand. "And, thank you for telling us what became of him. I'd always wondered." Ichigo nodded solemnly. In the Kurosaki clan's history, Isshin had simply vanished on a routine mission. They'd never quite known what had become of him.

"He did see Sojun, in a way. We met in the afterlife for a while, and he saw the conception in me." Ichigo said softly and she blinked. "And he told me he was proud of me. I only wish I'd had more time with him." That was his one regret. But Isshin had gone on to his next life, and that brief time in the afterlife they'd shared was all there would ever be. "Will you be staying a while?" Ichigo asked hopefully and his grandmother laughed.

"I will be staying a week, at least. We'll have time to talk. Now, go speak to your friends." She gently shoo'd him away and Ichigo went with a smile to go speak to Shunsui and Jushiro.

Soon, he and Byakuya would be done with the mingling. Then they could eat and have some fun.


	10. Way of Mercy

Ichigo walked down the road, nimbly avoiding a running child and dodging a few street vendors.

He was walking through one of the better sections of the Rukongai, with Sojun in his sling across his tummy. Byakuya probably wouldn't approve, but Ichigo wanted to see something new, and Renji had told him that this part of town was quite safe in daylight. Besides, he was a half-demon. Really, how many things in the Rukongai could pose a serious threat?

_Maybe a young Zaraki._ Ichigo smiled to himself as he remembered their sparring. It had been great fun, although he had badly hurt himself at one point. Ichigo wasn't going to blame Kenpachi for thought, though. It had been his own fault for forgetting that he no longer had bone plates protecting his organs. If those plates had been there, the oblique angle of Kenpachi's strike would have skittered off them and left him completely undamaged. So Ichigo had taken the hit, expecting it to hardly hurt at all, and had been quite surprised when Zaraki's sword had gone deep into his gut. But the wound had healed, and that was all that mattered.

It wasn't likely he would meet an up and coming Zaraki in the Rukongai, though. Ichigo thought the towering captain was probably just as rare as a hybrid. So he walked through the streets without fear, pausing to examine a small tray of jewelry a woman was carrying in her arms, a strap around her neck and shoulders to hold it up more easily.

"Pretty." Ichigo said appreciatively. One particular piece caught his attention, a little bracelet clearly meant to go on a baby. It was silver with pink stones. "Aw! How much is that?" She named a price that Ichigo thought was quite reasonable, and he paid without trying to bargain. Bargaining was not his thing anyway. "Can you help me put it on him?" Sojun was awake and looking at everything, quite entertained.

"Certainly!" The seller carefully put the bracelet on Sojun's wrist, as Ichigo held his arm still for her. The baby cooed at his new adornment and Ichigo grinned as he tried to eat it. The woman laughed, clearly enchanted by the baby. "He's adorable. Please, enjoy!"

"We will!" Ichigo assured her before going on, smiling. Sojun meeped hungrily and he paused, leaning against a wall and cutting his arm to feed his baby. No one seemed to notice or care, and the feeding was done quickly as Sojun took in his reiatsu swiftly. Ichigo winced as an odor began to rise and sighed to himself. "Diaper time." That was the less pleasant aspect of having a baby. He found an adequately clean step to set his child on, and began the process of diaper changing. He carefully packaged up the used diaper, packing it into his baby bag. He would clean it later.

Lifting up his baby, Ichigo kept wandering through the Rukongai. It almost felt like a festival here, with numerous street vendors and plenty of buskers. He paused to listen to a trio of musicians, finding a great pleasure in the music. Smiling, he tossed a few coins in the hat. Then he watched a fire eating display, which left him less than impressed. Ichigo could do something similar with focus, if he cared to, and it would be vastly more interesting. He started to walk again, then paused as a powerful reiatsu touched him.

"Hm?" He turned to find a stranger at his elbow. He recognized the man, of course. There were only thirteen taichou. But he hadn't really spoken to him before. "Hello." He said a touch shyly as the man smiled at him before gazing down at his child. Sojun was sucking his thumb and looking quite adorable. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name."

"I'm Aizen Sosuke, Ichigo." Aizen had a very nice voice and Ichigo smiled as he gave Sojun a finger to hold. The baby was more than willing to go along with that. "And this is Gin Ichimaru." Ichigo transferred his smile to the other taichou. He was a slender man with silver hair, and very sharp, foxy features. "I couldn't help but notice you and the baby. What a lovely child. What is his name?"

"Sojun." Ichigo pinked with pleasure at the compliments. He couldn't help it, anyone who said nice things about his baby had a warm place in his heart. "He's named after Byakuya's father." He planned to name the next baby after his own father, if it happened to be a boy. If not, perhaps Byakuya's mother or grandmother would have a nakesake. "Thank you so much, I think he's adorable but I'm rather biased." He admitted, making the taichou laugh.

"May I touch him?" Gin asked and Ichigo noticed he hadn't opened his eyes much. That was a little odd, but he nodded. Sojun cooed at the touch, sensing that he was the centre of attention. "He is adorable, and you can hardly tell there's any demon in him at all." He sounded approving and Ichigo smiled, not taking offense. He wasn't exactly proud of his heritage, and would prefer Sojun to be free of it.

"Well, Ichigo, it's been a pleasure to meet you. Take good care of him." Aizen nodded towards Sojun and Ichigo nodded, a little surprised. Of course he would take good care of his baby. He watched the two taichou walk away and, on an impulse, he focused his attention on a small dog not far from them.

"Way of Entrapment 16: Lend me Your Ear." Ichigo whispered, cupping a hand around his ear. If he'd tried to use it on Gin or Aizen, the focus would have been as pathetic as it was futile. But it worked quite well on the little dog and Gin and Aizen didn't notice at all as they passed on by.

"…Seriously?" Gin was saying and Ichigo listened intently. It was a bit hard to hear, he was discovering that dogs were pretty different from people. He'd really had no idea. Demons didn't keep pets at all. "You want him?"

"Please, Gin. I wouldn't lower myself to touch him." Ichigo grimaced at that, offended. He knew plenty of shinigami thought he was disgusting, and that Byakuya was a pervert for marrying him and having offspring with him, but it was always a difficult attitude to encounter. "However…" Then they were out of range of the dog and Ichigo sighed as he broke off the connection.

"Jerks." He muttered to himself, making a mental note to step on Aizen's foot at the earliest opportunity. Putting the whole thing out of mind, he began adventuring again. Walking slowly through the Rukongai was a strange pleasure to him. It was like being in a demon hive, and it made Ichigo feel oddly safe and content. Demon hives had always been strange for him. On one hand, they constantly spoke to him of danger, but his demon instincts craved the company of other demons… or shinigami, it didn't really matter which. He'd been alone for far too long and the crowded, dirty streets of the Rukongai were a balm on his soul.

Perhaps that was why he lost track of where he was. He was making his way into a much worse part of town, a place Renji would have recognized as the Inuziri. Ichigo didn't care, particularly when he found an open air food market. He wandered through the stalls, buying fruits and sampling them, feeding tiny pieces to Sojun. He took care to infuse them with reiatsu before he gave them to his baby, feeding him more than mere food could give. To make up for it, he bought plenty of fruit for himself.

"You are an exhausting little thing sometimes." He told his baby as he sat down on the steps of a building, sinking his teeth into a fresh mango. "Mmm… mm." He closed his eyes in bliss at the taste. Demons had nothing that tasted of sweet, so candies and cakes were far too sweet for him. Fresh fruit, though, was wonderful, glorious. Sojun meeped happily as he senses his parent's happiness. Ichigo smiled down at him, savoring the mango.

"S-Sir?" He looked up, surprised, to find a little girl tugging his sleeve. There was a small boy with her and they were both looking at him tearfully. "We're both so hungry, sir. Could you spare an apple?" Ichigo let his senses range over them and winced to himself. They had spiritual talent, and needed to feed it with food, but clearly didn't have enough. He nodded and handed them each an apple. "Thank you sir!"

"Wait, hang on." The girl paused, clearly frightened. Ichigo fished through his pockets before handing her a few coins. "Get yourselves some meat, too." Fruit was nice but his body knew it was vastly inferior to a good piece of meat. He was sure that was true of shinigami, too. The girl bowed to him before scampering off with her brother and Ichigo smiled to himself, patting Sojun with one hand.

It was starting to get late, though, and Ichigo frowned as he glanced up at the sky. Perhaps it was time to get back to the Seireitei. Renji had told him that the Rukongai got far more dangerous at night, and while Ichigo was quite confident in his ability to defend himself, he did have Sojun along. He could enwrap the infant in a field of spiritual force, but still. It was better to just go home and come back some other time. Ichigo finished off the last of the fruit before heaving himself to his feet, beginning the long walk back. He wasn't sure how long it would take, but he could always finish by flash stepping back.

He was passing through an alleyway when he felt something… strange. Ichigo paused, glancing around uncertainly. Power sensing was not his strongest talent and it had felt very weak. What had that been? Frowning, he prudently enclosed Sojun in his reiatsu shield. Weak or not, he would not take chances with his baby. Ichigo decided to flash step back to the Seireitei. As soon as his feet moved in the steps, though, something hit him. It felt like a heavy weight to the back of his head, oppressive and painful. Ichigo fell to his knees, shocked out of his flash step, and gathered his power to retaliate. But then something else struck, a binding, and to his shock and surprise he realized it was tailored to his demonic reiatsu. This was not a chance attack, it was a calculated ambush.

Ichigo could have broken free. He could have, but as he began to summon his power he heard Sojun cry. Looking down, he realized to his horror that the trap was bearing down on his child as well, even through the shield. His eyes widened as he saw the damage the power could inflict and put all his power into the shield around his baby, screaming in pain as the binding bit into his flesh and spirit. Blood trickled down tanned skin and Ichigo's hands shook as he placed them protectively over Sojun. Dark forms slipped out of the shadows and Ichigo could only watch, caught like a fly in a web, as they gripped the edges of the binding and began to wrap it more securely around him. Sojun screamed and the sound ripped his heart.

"Little Flower…" Ichigo whispered his pet name for Sojun as more blood slid down his skin, staining the baby sling. "I'll keep… you safe…" Darkness was eating at his vision as they were lifted up, but his world had narrowed into a simple obsession. The shield around his child would not fail. Not until he was dead.

That thought comforted him as the binding dragged him into darkness.

* * *

Ichigo wasn't sure of how long it was before he woke up.

There was nothing to tell how much time had passed, in this dark and cold place. Ichigo shivered, sitting up and glancing around. He blinked as he realized Sojun was still with him, still in his baby sling and whimpering in hunger and need for changing. Grimacing, he glanced around and saw that someone had thoughtfully tossed in the baby bag. He always kept plenty of clean diapers, so he opened it and began to tend to his child.

"Zangetsu?" Ichigo whispered, reaching out to his zanpakuto. But he could feel nothing, except a horrible wrongness from the walls around him. Looking at them a hard shiver ran down his spine. They were seki stone and he knew that if he so much as brushed them, the pain would be blinding. "…" Tears brightened his eyes as he looked down at Sojun. "Who has done this? Why?" He whispered, his thoughts going to all the nobles who were unhappy with his presence in the Kuchiki family. Could it be one of them? He couldn't bring himself to believe it was Mayuri. Sure, the scientist could run more tests on him unwillingly, but why would he risk it when Ichigo was already perfectly willing? Could Aizen and Gin be involved? But Ichigo couldn't see the motivation there. It was probably pure coincidence that they had spoken to him before this had happened.

Ichigo knew one thing, though. Whoever had done this meant him and Sojun ill. They were trapped in a dank cell that smelled of stale urine and pain. There was no food, no warmth, nothing to indicate that they were valued at all. Ichigo gently fed the baby, trying to decide what to do.

The seki stone blocked most of his focus. Most, but not all. There was one particular focus that would still work, and tears brightened Ichigo's eyes as he thought of it. He'd told Shuhei that demons didn't love, and that was mostly true, but there was one part of demon life that made it a lie. Demon lord babies were precious. Female demon lords could sometimes manage to mate with a male demon lord, ensuring a lord baby. But male demon lords had to settle for vast harems of greater, breeding type female demons. They almost always gave birth to greater demons, only sometimes carrying a coveted demon lord baby. A greater demon who had given birth to a demon lord would do everything in her power to preserve that child. Was it love? Or just a kind of obsession? Ichigo didn't know, and it didn't matter. What mattered was the Way of Mercy. Ichigo was no master at that way, largely because he didn't have minions. But he didn't need to be to use the focus that was more a cry from the heart than true focus.

There was a cost, though, and Ichigo agonized over it for a moment. If he used that Way, the price would be severe and unpredictable. His very soul could be torn apart, his memory lost, his life taken. He might be teleported far away, even sent between the worlds. He could end up back in the demon sands. There were no guarantees about the effects on him, but for Sojun he would dare anything. Did he dare to do this?

"I don't have a choice." He whispered, running a hand through dark hair. "I will protect you." Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and let his tears fall. Gently setting his baby on the ground, Ichigo leaned over him and breathed the words of the focus, channeling all his power through his heart. "Way of Mercy 99: Mother's Wish." He stroked his baby's hair with a trembling hand as pain began to roar. "Be with Byakuya, Sojun. Right now." Ichigo gasped, choking on a cry of pain as blood exploded from his chest. Sojun screamed, but even as he screamed the baby was fading away as the Way of Mercy did what he had asked it to do. And then it exacted the price from him.

Ichigo was aware of a horrific suction on his soul, and felt the moment it broke, shattering into slivers of pain. He could hear Zangetsu's scream and a different, stranger scream that sounded like himself but not quite. And he felt the power lash over his mind, shocking him into numbness and filling his heart with ice. Memories seemed to snuff out, candles blown away by a massive gust of wind.

Mercifully, he lost consciousness before the backlash was done. He was not aware of his own body fading away, and for the ones who had captured him it was too late. The door to the cell flew open just as he vanished from view.

There was nothing left but bloodstains on the floor.

* * *

"Holy shit!" Byakuya turned at Zaraki's exclamation, about to chastise him for the language. Not that it would make much difference to the towering taichou. But then he froze, shocked, as he saw the globe of golden light.

"Ichigo." He whispered as he felt the reiatsu radiating from it. It was filled with demonic power, some form of focus, yet it felt strangely pure. The bubble abruptly burst and he jolted forward, catching Sojun at the same moment as Zaraki. He looked up into the other taichou's eyes, shocked by the fury he saw there. But then he glanced down at Sojun and felt his heart clench. The baby was covered in blood and screaming in terror.

"Who did this?" Zaraki snarled and Byakuya had no answer. They'd become aware of Ichigo's disappearance only a few hours ago. The hybrid often went for late night walks, so no one had suspected anything untoward until he hadn't appeared for breakfast. Since then they had been trying to investigate, but the last shinigami to see the hybrid had been Aizen and Gin. They'd had nothing useful to add, except that Ichigo had been in the Rukongai.

And now this. Byakuya could not imagine what focus had been used to do this, but he felt a chill as he considered the Way of Mercy. So much of it called for self-sacrifice, and was technically forbidden kido. Sojun's appearance and the blood practically screamed of that Way. Byakuya quickly began cleaning off the baby, checking to make sure it was not his blood. It wasn't, but that was a cold comfort because there was only one other person it could be from.

"I will get him to Unohana. Please, Zaraki taichou, continue to search for Ichigo." Byakuya said softly, making his decision quickly. Ichigo would want him to make sure Sojun was safe, and nothing could be safer than Unohana's Division. No one would be stealing the boy from them. Zaraki stared at him for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah, I'll go meet up with Soifon and see what she's got. You get him to safety." Byakuya smiled slightly at the honest concern in Kenpachi's voice. It was no surprise that he had a soft spot for children, of course. Yachiru was a clear enough sign of that. But he still appreciated the concern. "That damned demon better be alive, or I'll kill him." That mutter made his heart freeze, and Byakuya swallowed hard before flash stepping away.

There was a lot of blood on Sojun, and he had no idea where it had come from. It could have been Ichigo's hand… or his heart. He prayed it had been something non-lethal, but he couldn't know.

And not knowing was a torment.

* * *

_He's covered in blood!_

_Someone call an ambulance!_

_Get out of the way, Yuzu. Huh. That's strange. He doesn't seem to have any injuries at all._

_Then where did the blood come from, Karin-chan?_

_I don't know. Maybe he was butchering a deer or something?_

_Maybe he's a serial killer!_

_Don't be silly, Yuzu. He can't be much older than, oh, seventeen? He might be fifteen. He's just a kid._

_Well, okay. When will the ambulance be here?_

The boy on the ground groaned as warm hands carefully moved him, laying him out on a stretcher. Eyes opened, blinking stupidly at the people above him. Karin noticed his eyes were warm brown. She frowned at him, tilting her head at the orange hair. It was about the same shade as Yuzu's.

"Hey. You okay?" She asked, trying to keep him awake. It didn't look like the blood was his, but if it was he'd be in danger of going into shock. The boy looked at her, dazed, glancing around.

"Yeah, I – I think so." He shifted, trying to drag himself to his feet. Karin quickly caught him and pushed him back down.

"Hey, stay still. You're covered in blood." She ordered and he looked down at himself, seemingly surprised to see the blood. "What's your name?" She asked as Yuzu kept fluttering about the ambulance. The boy had to really think about it, but he finally came up with an answer.

"I'm Ichigo. Who are you? Where am I?" He asked, glancing around again. "Never seen anything like this before… I think?" He muttered, resting a hand on his head. "Ow. My head hurts." Karin gently examined his head, finding some very tender spots.

"I think you might have taken a head injury. Stay still." She instructed the young man, who nodded, closing his eyes. They could hear the sirens now. The ambulance would arrive any minute. "You're going to the hospital, they'll take care of you." She said encouragingly. He nodded, opening his eyes just a bit.

"Who are you?" He asked and she gently patted his shoulder.

"I'm Karin Kurosaki and this is my sister, Yuzu." She said and the young man opened his eyes again, blinking.

"Kurosaki? That's strange… I'm Kurosaki Ichigo… I wonder what that means…?" Karin blinked, surprised. But then she shrugged as the boy gave her a puzzled glance.

"Probably nothing. It's not that uncommon a last name." She said. It wasn't a super common last name, either, but not uncommon. Then the ambulance arrived and she watched as they put him into a gurney. "Can I go with him?" Karin suddenly asked. She wasn't sure why, but she wanted to be around the boy. And besides, the police would probably want to question her and Yuzu anyway. It wasn't every day that a boy showed up covered in blood in Karakura town. The paramedics clearly thought the same thing.

"Of course. The police will want to talk to you." One of them said, echoing her thoughts, and Karin jumped into the back of the ambulance. Not to her surprise, the paramedics confirmed that Ichigo had no injuries aside from some tender spots on his head. But that left everyone with a burning question.

Where had all the blood come from?


	11. Amnesia

"How may I help you, officer?" The doctor who had been tending to Ichigo was a middle-aged man, slightly overweight and with the general aspect of a sleepy, friendly bear. He adjusted his glasses, blinking at the police officer in front of him owlishly.

"What can you tell us about this boy? I'm told he has amnesia?" The officer sounded skeptical. He was a much younger man than the doctor, but he'd seen plenty of criminals conveniently forget their crimes.

"Yes, and I'm afraid it appears to be genuine." The doctor knew where the police's thoughts were going, and his reply was regretful but firm. "We managed to rush the blood tests, so we know the blood on him was, in fact, his own." That made the police officer blink and frown. "Our best guess so far is that it was some kind of internal hemorrhage, but he's fortunately showing no signs of distress."

"I see." The police officer mused. That changed things. Given that the boy was unmarked but covered in blood, they had suspected him of perpetrating a crime. But if the blood was his own, it was either a medical issue or the boy was a victim. Faking amnesia made a lot less sense. "We have his name. Does he have any identifying marks? And what does he remember?" He asked and the doctor hesitated.

"He… has some extremely unusual features." The doctor said carefully, and then sighed. "This is a bit of a touchy subject." The officer frowned, wondering where this was going. "I've been referring to the boy as 'him' because that's how he identifies himself, but from our examinations he's actually a pseudo-hermaphrodite."

"A _what?_" The police officer exclaimed, then lowered his voice as the doctor gave him a scorching look. "I'm sorry. But what is that?" He knew what a hermaphrodite was, of course, but he didn't understand the pseudo part. The doctor sighed before explaining.

"A pseudo-hermaphrodite is someone who possesses organs associated with both genders, but only one or none are actually functional. In this boy's case, only his female aspects appear to be functional." The doctor's tone was clinical as he discussed Ichigo's condition. "Technically, he is more female than male, but sexual disorders can be difficult to quantify. Mentally, he has indicated that he is male." The police officer swallowed, writing everything down.

"Well, that should make him easy to find, unless some idiot left it off the missing persons report." Unfortunately, the police officer would not have been surprised if they had. Admitting that a child was transgender would be difficult for some people. "Is this a birth defect? Or an operation?" He sincerely hoped it was a birth defect. They had tentatively placed the boy's age at fifteen, if someone had done this to him… but the doctor shook his head.

"It is certainly a birth defect. No medical intervention could give him a functional womb." That made the officer relax a bit, until the doctor's next words. "From our x-rays and examinations, we believe he may have carried a child fairly recently."

"I… see." Mentally, the police officer added possible pedophilia to the things that needed investigating. Although perhaps the boy was on the older end of their age estimates. "And what does he remember?" That information might help. The doctor grimaced, shaking his head.

"He says he remembers red sand, pillars of stone and pretty birds." He said frankly, and the officer frowned. "Nothing of use, no names or places. I can't think of any place near here with red sand." That was an understatement. Red sand was not exactly common, and a bit of time with google had only turned up a few deserts that might match the descriptions.

"No. Interesting." The officer sighed, putting away his notepad. "We'll have to wait to see if someone has reported him as a missing person." If they had, though, they would be answering some questions. "Now, I'll need to speak to the girls who found him." He doubted they would have much to add, but it was better to be thorough.

This boy was quite a puzzle.

* * *

"Mom?" Karin said as she looked at her food.

"Yes, Karin?" Masaki smiled, bringing out a carrot dish. It was a rather interesting concoction that she'd made in little ramekins. Karin and Yuzu both took one. They knew that anything their mother made would be delicious, no matter how odd it looked.

It was just the three of them, living in a too large house in the middle of town. Masaki had never been married to their father, but only because he'd died during the engagement. It had been a great tragedy, but she'd taken his name anyway and made certain they knew his family. Masaki worked as a teacher at the local high school and was a very compassionate person, which made Karin hope that she might be receptive to her thoughts.

"You know that boy we found, covered in blood? Ichigo?" She asked and her mother nodded as Yuzu dug into her carrots before eating a bit of roast beef. "I, um, I've been keeping track of him." Karin admitted. She was looking to become a paramedic someday, and she was already trained as a field medic for the sports team. She knew people at the hospital and while they wouldn't give her confidential information, they would keep her generally informed. "No one's come forward to claim him, so they're talking about sending him to a group home." Karin couldn't help the anxiety in her voice. "Mom, I don't think that would be good for him. Can we take him?" Her mother and sister were both looking at her in astonishment and she dropped her eyes, flushing.

"Honey, teenagers are expensive." Masaki said gently and Karin bit her lip. "Why wouldn't he be fine at the group home?" Karin winced. She wasn't supposed to know this part, but she had managed to listen in on the doctor and the police officer.

"Mom… he's sort of a girl." They both stared at her and Karin looked down at her carrots. "The doctor said he's a pseudo-hermaphrodite. You know how teenagers can be. When the kids at the group home find out…" Karin was sure that wouldn't go well at all. And there would be no hiding it, not in a group home. They were sort of like dorms, with communal showers. And the sexes were usually split in group homes. Where would they put Ichigo? Probably with the girls, since he could become pregnant, but Karin was sure he wouldn't be accepted.

"I… oh dear." Masaki muttered and Karin could see she was thinking of the same things. Her mother knew all about group homes. Several of her students came from them. "Would he receive a per diem from the state? Maybe we could see…" Karin felt her heart lift at that. Money was always tight, with only a teacher's salary to support them, but as an orphan Ichigo would have some kind of state support. "I'll go speak to the doctors about him." She said, suddenly decided, and Karin smiled in relief. She knew that when her mother decided to do something, she decided very quickly and then made it happen.

Ichigo would probably be staying with them before the week was out.

* * *

"Nnn." Ichigo muttered as the sun touched his face, rousing him from dreams of sand and pretty little birds that tried to spit something on him that burned like fire. Then he sat up, yawning and rubbing the back of his neck.

Since the day he'd woken up in the hospital, he'd felt like a blank slate. His memories were terribly hazy and seemed to revolve around sand and violence. He hadn't told the doctor about the memories of eating things that weren't human, though. He hadn't thought they would understand. Ichigo didn't understand, so how could he explain?

Not for the first time, he tried to remember. The doctor had told him he probably had a child, and encouraged him to try to remember. But as much as he tried, he couldn't. It just wasn't there. Sighing, he pulled away the blankets and stumbled to his feet, stretching.

"Another day." He mumbled to himself before stripping off his shirt. Ichigo paused to look at himself in the mirror for a moment. He knew he looked good because several of the girls at school had told him so, when he'd torn off a shirt in gym class. Apparently, his well-defined build was a bit unusual and definitely attractive.

Not that he was interested in the girls. Ichigo was already slightly interested in one of the guys in class, although he wasn't sure Ishida would return his feelings at all. It was only a vague interest, anyway, so they were just friends.

Shrugging aside any concerns about his future love life, Ichigo put on his school uniform. Masaki drove them all to school, since she worked as a teacher there, but that meant he needed to be on time. They had to arrive early, since a teacher could never be late.

Breakfast was chicken liver and onions for him and Masaki, and scrambled eggs for the girls. Ichigo dug into it immediately, enjoying the velvety taste of the liver and the spices Masaki used to flavor it. He couldn't understand why Karin and Yuzu didn't like it. What could be more heavenly than a bit of liver in the morning?

"Good morning, Ichigo. Would you like some tea?" Masaki asked and he looked up from his plate with a smile.

"I'd love some, mom." Ichigo felt a bit of pleasure every time he called her that. The words seemed to fill an ache in his heart. "Thank you." He said after she poured him the tea, taking a sip. It warmed him and he cupped his hands around it. This place was not cold, but he had a feeling he'd lived somewhere hotter. He craved the heat of the tea.

"So Ichi, how's gym class going? Killed anymore shirts?" Karin asked and Ichigo blushed lightly at the reminder. He still wasn't sure how he'd managed to rip his shirt to shreds. It had just… happened.

"Ah, stop it Karin! I'm being careful. But my gym teacher thinks I should concentrate on my sprinting." Ichigo excelled at almost everything physical, but he was terrifyingly fast on his sprints. "She thinks I could go to the national level someday, if I work at it." And from there, the next step would be training for the Olympics. Ichigo wondered if someone would make an issue of his gender, but he doubted it, not if he competed with the men.

"That would be wonderful, Ichigo. You can get scholarships, you know." Masaki encouraged him and Ichigo nodded. Right now, he was getting a huge amount of tutoring to catch up with his classes, but the teachers were hopeful that by next year he'd be average for his age bracket. Eventually, university would be on the table.

But he was only fifteen, or at least, that was what they'd labeled him as. So Ichigo was not going to worry about it. He listened to Yuzu's enthusiastic comments about her dance teacher as he finished his tea, and then he stood up, going to the sink to rinse out his dishes and put them in the washing machine. As they finished, everyone else followed suit and soon they were in the car going to school.

Ichigo looked out the window of the car, marveling at Karakura town. He'd seen it plenty of times now, of course, but it never seemed to get old. When he'd first gotten out of the hospital Ichigo had been absolutely certain he'd never seen anything like it, but everyone told him that was silly, he'd just forgotten. Somehow, he couldn't make himself believe that. He didn't know how it could be true, but he knew towns were new to him. So many things felt new to him.

Ichigo whistled to himself as he put his bag into a locker, pulling out his math textbooks. It was math early in the morning, which suited him just fine. Mathematics was not his best subject and his mind needed to be alert for it. He looked up with a smile as someone beside him cleared his throat.

"Good morning Ishida!" Ichigo said happily, and Ishida smiled as he adjusted his glasses. "Are you going to be tutoring me during rest period today?" He asked and Ishida nodded.

"If you don't mind." He said. Rest period was used for homework, so giving it up for tutoring was a small sacrifice for them both. Ichigo shrugged, not minding it a bit. "I'm afraid you really need a lot of work on this."

"I know. Thanks, Ishida." Ichigo said as he closed his locker, snapping the combination lock into place. "I really appreciate you doing this for me." He said, although he knew Masaki was paying the other teen a bit to tutor him. Ishida shook his head as they walked to class.

"It's nothing." When they reached the classroom, Ishida immediately went to his seat. Ichigo paused, though, as he saw a bouquet of flowers on the teacher's desk. It was huge and he couldn't help but go over to it, looking intently at the blossoms.

"Good morning, Ichigo!" She said with a smile before frowning. "Is something wrong?" Ichigo stared at the flowers, feeling like something was stirring in his mind. Something to do with flowers.

"Pansies?" He muttered, getting a brief flash of a man with a straw hat and kind brown eyes. "No… these aren't pansies." The memory faded as quickly as it had come and the flowers were nothing but flowers. "Sorry, ma'am. I… almost remembered something." He struggled to find the memory again, but it slipped away even as he tried. She blinked, then smiled sympathetically.

"Keep trying, Ichigo. You'll remember someday." She said encouragingly and Ichigo nodded, glancing at the flowers one last time before he took his seat. Unlike his dreams of sand and blood, the flowers felt… good. Positive. Sighing to himself, he took his seat and devoted his attention to the complexities of mathematics.

He wished he could remember.

* * *

Byakuya gently bathed Sojun, smiling sadly as the baby bubbled with happiness.

It had been almost two months since Ichigo had been lost, and Soifon had broken the conspiracy that had kidnapped him. Although calling it a conspiracy was, perhaps, too grandiose. Several young and not so young nobles had decided that a half-demon was simply too much, and they had included a few shinigami who had fought the demons. Using their knowledge of demonic reiatsu, they had crafted a non-lethal but very effective trap for Ichigo.

The only credit Byakuya could give them was for a bit of common decency. They had planned to eventually kill Ichigo, but not until Sojun was old enough to survive without him. They had been unable to stomach the death of a child, so they had planned to place him with a peasant family or in an orphanage after the death of his hybrid parent.

But everything had gone wrong for them, rather quickly. The kidnappers could shed no light on Ichigo's disappearance, because they didn't know how it had happened. The seki stone they were keeping him in should have prevented the use of focus, but somehow Ichigo had ignored that. The flare of power had sent the captors running to him, but they had arrived to find nothing left but bloodstains. Byakuya wondered if Ichigo had sacrificed his life to send Sojun to safety. That was something the hybrid would do, but from the descriptions, the amount of blood had not been enough to be definitely lethal. It was possible Ichigo was alive.

But where? As far as they could tell, he had completely vanished from Soul Society. Soifon was still searching, utilizing her spies and informants, but there was no trace of him. His reiatsu was distinctive, and Yamamoto himself had tried to seek it out, but he'd found nothing. Could the hybrid really be dead?

Byakuya shook his head. He wouldn't believe that until it was absolutely confirmed. He gently rinsed Sojun off, smiling as the child laughed. Security on his son was tighter now, and he was careful to make time to be with him, despite his duties.

If they never found Ichigo, Sojun would need him to be there.

* * *

"Hey mister, you can see me?" Ichigo blinked, then glanced around to see if there was anyone else the girl could be talking to.

"Of course I can see you. Why wouldn't I?" He asked the girl. She had short brown hair and was wearing a white and purple shirt, along with jean shorts. It looked a bit cool for the weather, but maybe that was just him. The only odd thing about her was the chain connected to her chest, that trailed away into nothing. She laughed at him, sitting down on the step beside him.

"I'm a ghost, mister." She said, leaning back against the stone and Ichigo blinked. He hadn't heard that term before.

"What's a ghost?" He asked and she looked at him in disbelief. "I have amnesia." He said defensively. She blinked at him, then shrugged.

"I'm dead. I'm trying to keep a watch on my sister." She said and Ichigo winced before nodding. That made sense to him, he'd seen at home how much Karin and Yuzu cared for each other, even if they did often drive each other crazy. "I've never met anyone who could see me, though. How can you see me, mister?"

"Call me Ichigo. And I have no idea." He shrugged. "Amnesia." Ichigo was fairly certain that if he could remember, he'd know why he could see this girl. But he didn't and couldn't, so life went on. Or, well, perhaps it didn't, given that his new friend was dead. "How'd you die, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I was riding my bike home and someone hit me." The girl said briefly and Ichigo winced at the pain in her eyes. "It didn't hurt really. He drove off, though, and just left me there. Or she, I didn't really see." Ichigo reached over to pat her shoulder and she looked at him wide-eyed. "You can touch me! How'd you do that?"

"No idea." He said again, looking at his hand. Somehow, touching the ghost had seemed completely natural to him. "Hmm." He flexed his hand, clenching and unclenching the muscles. He examined it closely, and began to get a strange feeling. "Is this even real?" He murmured to himself, then shook his head. "Huh." He abandoned the examination of his own body and turned his attention back to the ghost girl. "I know you want to care for your sister, but I'm pretty sure you should be going somewhere." He had no idea where, but he sensed a kind of danger in the ghost. She scowled at him.

"I'm not going anywhere!" She said and he considered it for a moment before shrugging. It really wasn't his business. "I'm Francesca, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Francesca." He offered her a hand and she took it in genuine pleasure, smiling at the feel of being able to touch someone. A woman walked by and they both fell silent until she was gone. "I hang out here a lot, but if you ever really need me I live just down the road, at the house with the bright red car and the marigolds in the yard." Masaki was very fond of marigolds, and the flower beds were full of them.

"I might. There's something really nasty wandering around lately." She shivered as Ichigo tilted his head. "I don't think it cares about me, but it's really scary. It feels like it might be searching for something."

"Well, we'll just have to keep our heads down, eh Francesca?" Ichigo said with a smile. He wasn't too concerned about something searching Karakura town. Aside from his birth defect, there was nothing at all special about him. What could something that scared a ghost want with an amnesiac boy?

"I guess. Well, I better go see if my sister is okay. See you later Ichigo." Ichigo watched her leave, feeling vaguely unhappy. The chain on her chest wasn't very long, and that made him uneasy, although he couldn't have said why.

"Oh well. It really isn't my business." He pushed himself to his feet, but an uneasy feeling in his chest made him wonder. Were ghosts really not his business? He could see them and touch them. Ichigo shook his head, adjusting the strap of his school bag before walking home.

He couldn't remember, so it wasn't worth worrying about.

* * *

Ichigo sucked on the end of his pen, looking at the sheet in front of him in puzzlement.

It was a creative writing assignment. Ichigo was very good at English class, and vastly enjoyed writing. Unfortunately, he wasn't very good on the whole rough draft, finished draft thing. What was the point if everything came out perfectly to start with? And when he used the computer, he just fixed things as he went along. But since his English teacher seemed to be obsessed with rough drafts, he'd started writing in pen then typing it up later. The inability to go back and correct made his handwritten work look suitably like a rough draft.

Unfortunately, his assignment now was to write a story from his childhood. That was obviously a problem, but the teacher had told him to just make something up if he couldn't remember. Ichigo sighed and decided he would try to capture his dreams in a story. Maybe it would help him remember. Setting pen to the paper, he began to write.

_I can't remember my childhood, but I am trying. I remember red stone, hard and hot even in the shade. I remember red sand that burned my feet yet felt so right when I took a handful and used it to scrub myself._ Ichigo's eyes glazed over as he recalled that sand, and the words began to flow more freely. _I remember so many scents. The reek of old blood, the sickly sweet smell of rot, the earthy smell of mushrooms. The stale tang of old sex. The hot, dusty odor of the desert and the heat of the sun on my skin. I remember the taste of blood and the feeling of power flowing through me like a fine wine. Death stalked the sands, and I was one of the death bringers, alone and lonely yet unable to find any companionship. The others that walked the sands were evil, but I was different and I knew it. There was no one else like me. I am alone yet not lonely now that I have friends who can accept –_

"Ichigo!" Yuzu opened the door with a smile and he started, the pen dragging across the paper and leaving a trail of ink. "Mama's cooking, she wants to know if you would like spaghetti for supper?"

"Sure." Ichigo said, not entirely truthfully. Spaghetti was not his favorite dish, but he wasn't going to ask Masaki to make something different for him. His body knew that meat was the only proper fuel for him, but it could be a touch expensive. At least there would be some ground beef in the sauce.

"Wonderful! What are you writing, Ichigo?" She'd noticed his pen and paper. Ichigo looked down at the tiny bit of writing and winced. It was an accurate representation of his feelings, but…

"Nothing." He crumpled up the paper and threw it into the waste bin. "My teacher just asked us to write a story of our childhoods. I don't think mine's appropriate, so I'll just make something up." Really, the smell of sex? What had he been thinking when he wrote that? Yuzu giggled and left the room as Ichigo started a new story. This one was a complete fabrication, although he kept the red sand, imagining a beach on the ocean with that hot, burning sand. It was a lie, of course. Ichigo couldn't remember but he was somehow sure that water had not been a part of his life when he'd lived in the sands. Why else would he have used the sand to bathe himself? "I must have stunk so bad." He muttered to himself, then grinned.

If that had been his life before, perhaps he was glad that he couldn't remember.


	12. Zangetsu

For the next week, strange things began happening at Urahara's shop.

The first strange thing was the man who walked in the door. Kisuke blinked as he felt a very strange reiatsu filled the shop, and regarded his new possible customer curiously. He was a tall man, with wild, tangled brown hair. He had a bit of stubble on his face, and wore transparent, wraparound sunglasses. Kisuke looked over his clothing and saw it was a tattered dress shirt and an equally tattered overcoat. If he'd seen the man on the street, he'd have thought he was a street person. But his reiatsu was singing in the confined room and he clearly was not wearing a gigai. Urahara wrinkled his nose as he tried to identify the reiatsu. It was unusual, to say the least.

The man was slowly walking through the store, looking at every piece of merchandise. Yet, his movements seemed purposeless and his gaze held an element of hopelessness that arrested Kisuke. Finally deciding he needed to take a hand, he stepped up behind the strange man and gave a small cough. The man turned to look at him, calm and composed.

"Hello! I'm Urahara Kisuke, and this is my shop. Can I help you with anything?" He asked and frowned as the man's shoulders slumped slightly. He looked so… defeated.

"No one can help me." The man started to leave, but then stopped as Urahara's hand fell on his shoulder. "Hm?" He looked back, surprised, and Kisuke gave him a winning smile.

"Well, you never know until you try, eh? What seems to be the problem?" He asked soothingly. This man was too interesting a puzzle to just let leave his shop. The stranger hesitated, then turned back to face him.

"I don't know." Urahara blinked. That was not a terribly promising beginning. "I'm searching for something, or someone, but I don't know who or what. I cannot remember anything." He sounded very distressed, in a quiet way.

"Well, do you remember your name?" Kisuke said, gently encouraging the man to speak. The brown haired man just stared at him a moment before blinked.

"Yes… I do remember that. I am Zangetsu." That name made Kisuke raise his eyebrows a bit.

"Slaying Moon?" He mused. "What an odd name. Well, Zangetsu, do you know _what_ you are?" He asked, hoping that the question might trigger a memory. It did, and the man's eyes took on a distant quality.

"Yes. I am a… zanpakuto." He said slowly and Kisuke stared. He'd never seen a manifested zanpakuto, just wandering around with amnesia before. What could cause such a thing? But it gave him another question to ask.

"If you're a zanpakuto, you must have a wielder. Can you remember your shinigami?" He asked and the zanpakuto was silent for a long moment before shaking his head.

"No. I cannot." He said with such sadness that Urahara winced. "This is not right but I do not know what to do. I wander and wander but I cannot find what I am searching for." He sounded lost and depressed. Kisuke sensed that the wandering spirit was on the verge of giving up.

"Why don't you stay here for a while?" He suggested as the zanpakuto looked at him. "You can rest, eat some proper food, get your strength back up." It had to require quite a bit of power, keeping a zanpakuto manifested like this. Urahara wondered how the shinigami who possessed him was coping, but they could at least ease the burden a bit by letting Zangetsu supply some of his own energy. "And we can run some tests on you, see if we can match your reiatsu to anyone. Shinigami and their zanpakuto have very similar power signatures."

"Perhaps." Zangetsu agreed, but Kisuke had the feeling it was just because he didn't want to keep moving, rather than he thought it would actually work.

For the next week, Zangetsu stayed at the shop and Kisuke put him to work. The zanpakuto was fully capable of rearranging boxes, and after a bit of training and the use of a gigai, could even handle the till. Making a gigai that could hold his peculiar reiatsu was interesting, but the result was quite satisfactory. Zangetsu seemed somewhat content with his new place, although there was always an edge of sadness to him.

The tests hadn't helped much. Kisuke had compared the wandering zanpakuto's reaitsu to all the soul reapers he had on file, but there had been no matches. He'd used some contacts to quietly get the information sent to Soul Society, but they could find no matches either. No one seemed to know anything about Zangetsu. And no one had any idea how a zanpakuto could be separated from their soul reaper without killing him. Perhaps, Kisuke thought, that was the answer. Could Zangetsu's shinigami be dead? But normally, a zanpakuto went for rebirth when that happened. What could have gone wrong this time?

Then the second strange thing of the week happened, right on Sunday as he was about to close.

"Miss? We are about to close." Zangetsu's voice was calm but Kisuke frowned, looking up from his tea. There was a tension in the tone. "Miss, you really should wear some clothes." That got his attention and Kisuke quickly stood, going to see what was going on.

To his disappointment, the woman in the store was nearly naked, but so flat she looked like a young boy. In fact, Kisuke wasn't entirely certain of her gender. There was something about her that made him think female, but she was nothing but lean muscle. Her skin was white as a bone and her eyes were gold as she looked at him. Her hair was long, shockingly red and clipped behind the back of her head with a jet black hairpiece. The only clothing she wore was a tattered piece of black cloth, folded around her loins.

"I am looking for my baby." She said, her voice soft yet oddly harsh. It was a strange duality and Kisuke shivered at the sound. "Have you seen him? Have you seen my boy?" Her hands flexed and she was standing in front of him, resting a hand over his heart as she looked into Kisuke's eyes. But then a hand encircled her wrist, with equally stunning speed.

"No." Zangetsu said, pulling on that bone white wrist. She stared at his hand for a moment, then let him pull her hand away. Kisuke noted, with a growing feeling of disquiet, that her fingernails were black and sharp.

"Do I know you?" She turned away from Kisuke, really looking at Zangetsu. He just looked back at her, somber and silent. "I think I know you. But I can't remember how. Do you know me?"

"Yes. I remember that you are dangerous." The zanpakuto said seriously and Kisuke readied himself to pull out his sword. The woman scowled, and he noticed the clip in her hair was in the shape of a sakura tree.

"I just want my baby!" Her voice rose to a shriek on the final word and the zanpakuto and ex-shinigami both flinched as her reiatsu flooded the room. Urahara recognized it immediately and pulled out his sword. Yet, despite the clearly demonic nature of the reiatsu, there was something strange about it. He disregarded it, and was about to call on his zanpakuto when Zangetsu's other hand gripped his wrist.

"No. She is… important." The zanpakuto sounded apologetic as he frowned. "I do not know why." The demon pulled at her wrist, trying to free herself from his grip. Zangetsu let go of her and she ran out the door, sobbing about her missing child.

"She is a succubus. You've just let a monster go wandering the Living World." Kisuke said, very seriously. A succubus was no laughing matter, and what else could she be? But Zangetsu shook his head.

"Greater demon." He corrected and Kisuke's eyes widened. Succubi and minor imps were all that were normally seen in the living world, and they were entirely spiritual. A greater demon, though, was completely different. They assumed an automatic gigai in the living world. But then he frowned. She had been spiritual, he was sure of it. "Or… no. Something like a greater demon." Zangetsu's eyes glazed over as the zanpakuto struggled. "I can't remember. Why can't I remember? But she can't die. Something terrible will happen if she does."

"What?" Kisuke said gently, trying to prompt Zangetsu into remembering. "What will happen?" There was a long pause and finally the zanpakuto shook his head.

"I don't know. I just don't know…" He sounded defeated again and Kisuke sighed before gently patting his shoulder.

"We'll do our best to find out." He pledged. With a greater demon, or some derivative wandering around, the stakes had just gotten higher.

Much, much higher.

* * *

Ichigo was sipping a slushy and sitting on a step with Karin, just enjoying the sun.

He couldn't believe how well he was fitting into his new family. People seeing them all together thought that Masaki was really his mother, and he loved her like she was. Karin and Yuzu were his sisters, and he felt so warmed by their closeness.

"What are you thinking, Ichi-nii?" Karin asked and Ichigo smiled in pleasure at that nick-name for himself.

"Just about how happy I am." He said truthfully before drinking his slushy a bit too quickly. "Ack!" He muttered as a headache started. He was definitely sensitive to cold, even in food. "Or at least, I was before this thing bit me back." He looked at the slushy in his hand as Karin laughed.

"You shouldn't drink them then. It's just garbage anyway and terribly bad for you." She said, managing to sound almost exactly like their mother. Ichigo sighed, getting up and tossing the half-done bottle into a garbage can. He didn't want it anymore.

"Yeah, you're right." They both sat together for a moment, Ichigo just soaking in the sun and Karin working on her yo-yo tricks. "What are we waiting here for again?"

"Uncle Hibiki is going to pick us up." Karin reminded him and Ichigo nodded. He and Karin had both taken the bus to the gym, which Masaki had a family membership for. They both liked working out and also had karate lessons there. Although Ichigo had been moved up in his class several times, despite not really knowing karate. His speed and power were blinding and he seemed to know how to fight, despite the lack of memories. The sensei only liked to put him against the most advanced students, now.

"Ichigo!" Ichigo looked up and smiled as he saw Francesca. He didn't say anything, though. Karin couldn't see her so it would look like he was talking to empty air.

"Aren't you going to say hello to her?" Karin said and Ichigo nearly swallowed his tongue. Francesca was just as startled, staring at her like she'd grown a second head. "What?"

"You can see her?" Ichigo said, awed, as Karin scowled at him. "Sorry, it's just, she's dead. She's a ghost." He told her and his sister blinked before looking at Francesca again.

"Wow, you're pretty young. Tough break." She said sympathetically, flipping her yo-yo again. "I've always been able to see ghosts, Ichi-nii. Mom can too, but Yuzu can't. I had no idea you could."

"Ichigo is pretty amazing!" Francesca told his sister, making Ichigo blush. "I wish I wasn't dead. I'd be old enough to date him."

"Francesca!" Ichigo hadn't expected the ghost to say THAT, and Karin was laughing at his furious blush. "I'm sort of a girl." He muttered, looking down. He wasn't remotely attracted to Francesca, or any other girl. Despite feeling like he was a boy, he was only attracted to other men.

"Nah, you're just pretty gay Ichi-nii." Karin corrected him and Ichigo's blush went up a notch. "It's okay, there's a gay pride group in town, they'll take you right in."

"Thanks Karin." Ichigo sighed to himself. He wasn't really interested in that sort of thing. "Anyway, how's it going Francesca?" The ghost looked really worried then and got very close to him, almost trying to huddle up beside the two living people.

"Not too good, Ichigo. That dangerous thing is, well, feeling more dangerous. Sort of unbalanced. I caught a glimpse of it and it looks like a girl with white skin. You guys should be careful." Francesca sounded urgent. "She's asking anyone who can see her about her baby and she hurts anyone who can't tell her anything." Ichigo swallowed, exchanging a glance with Karin. That didn't sound good.

"We'll keep our eyes open." He told the ghost, who smiled. "Thanks for warning us." He wasn't about to let anyone hurt Karin or Yuzu. Although Yuzu couldn't see the woman, so she would likely be safe. But Karin and Masaki wouldn't be. It didn't occur to Ichigo to worry about himself. That was not what he did.

"Finally!" Karin heaved a sigh as a car pulled up. "Hibiki! You are so late!" Ichigo just hopped into the car, not caring a bit. He liked just sitting in the sun.

"Sorry kids." Their uncle was a short, balding man with a ruff of black hair. He was actually their uncle on Karin's father's side. This side of the family was perfectly polite towards Ichigo, but he wasn't their grandchild. They also thought it was a bit crazy, how Masaki had taken him in right out of the hospital, but everyone had to admit that he was a good boy and it was working out well. Ichigo just did his best to win them over. He was sure he'd succeed, someday. "There was an accident. It was strange, just a single car missing a bumper and tire in the middle of the road." Ichigo glanced in the direction Hibiki had come, feeling uneasy. A frustrated, powerful spiritual creature could probably do something like that, and that was also the direction Francesca had come from. But there was nothing he could do about the spiritual world, so he decided to concentrate on the present.

"What are we having for supper, Uncle? Do you know?" He asked. Ichigo was feeling very hungry, and hoped the meal would be meat. The past week had seemed to be full of rice and pasta dishes, and he was starting to feel almost faint from hunger. It was so hard to tell Masaki, though. Normal people didn't require meat, did they? But Ichigo felt like he just couldn't go on without it. And a few pieces of fish or slivers of chicken in the rice just weren't cutting it.

"Roasted turkey." Ichigo smiled, feeling a great relief at that. "Also a baked ham. It's a bit of a special occasion, having all you kids, so we decided to bring out the good cooking."

"Sounds great, Uncle!" Karin said before poking Ichigo in the side. "The bottomless pit here will thank you. I think he's been dreaming about steak all week." Ichigo blushed. Was he really that transparent? But it was almost true. He'd been having more and more dreams about eating those inhuman things, and enjoying it.

"Well, he's a growing boy." Hibiki said tolerantly and Ichigo nodded, still blushing. "I remember when I was that age, I could eat a whole ham by myself and then spend the rest of the night in a food coma. Ah, good times." Ichigo couldn't really see what was good about that, but he was willing to go with anything that got him some ham.

They met Yuzu and Masaki at their uncles' home, and the rest of the family was there. Ichigo held back as Karin and Yuzu were greeted with hugs and kisses. He was actually glad to miss out on the kisses. His stomach was growling but he did his best to be patient as he waited for the food to be served.

Then a spike of pain seemed to radiate from his belly, and Ichigo made a small, whimpering sound. It was like hunger, but taken to the point of being pain. He blinked, trying to keep his eyes focused. He just had to wait a bit longer. He could do that, couldn't he?

He could, but just barely. When the food came he fell on it like a starving animal, only emerging from his frenzy when the ache in his body had faded a bit. He flinched and turned red as he realized he'd devoured his plate in a matter of seconds, and everyone was staring at him.

"My, you were hungry." Uncle Hibiki said in a hollow tone and Ichigo dropped his head in shame. The worst part was that he was still hungry. The ham on the table made him salivate, especially the sight of the crispy fat.

"I'm sorry." He said meekly, looking at Masaki. She was gazing at him in near horror and he felt like a complete embarrassment. How could he have done that? And why wasn't he full? "Is… is there more?" He asked in a small voice, before gripping his stomach again with a grimace. "Ow."

"I think you're full, Ichigo." Masaki said gently. "Just give it time to settle." Ichigo wanted to tell her he knew that was wrong, but sat back in his chair. He could wait a while.

Hopefully, in a half hour or so, they'd let him have more meat.

* * *

Urahara Kisuke was becoming alarmed at Zangetsu's condition.

The zanpakuto's strength was fading. He was trying to hide it, but he was eating far more than normal and trying to move as little as possible. The food seemed to be having a minimal effect on what was ailing him, and Kisuke had a bad feeling he knew what it was. The soul of the shinigami who owned him was supporting Zangetsu, but no soul could hold that kind of drain forever.

This called for drastic measures, or they were going to lose the zanpakuto. And Kisuke couldn't stomach the thought of that. Zangetsu had made a place for himself at the shop, with his hard work and his quiet, attentive demeanor. Zanpakuto were a reflection of a shinigami's personality, so whoever owned him had to be someone worth knowing, as well. He couldn't just let them die.

Worse yet was the demon. She'd crawled back to the shop, whimpering about her baby. Kisuke had been shocked to realize her state of decline matched Zangetsu's almost perfectly. He had no idea what that meant. How could a demon be connected to a zanpakuto? She was currently in the back of his shop, so weakened she was scarcely a threat to anyone. He'd tried feeding her cuts of raw steak, and that seemed to help, but only for a short time.

He had to do something about this. Sighing to himself, Urahara summoned a hell butterfly. Someone would no doubt get their pants in a knot about his banishment, but it couldn't be helped. He didn't have time to follow the discreet channels. Putting in everything he knew about the two, he sent the message to Unohana. She would see it got to the right ears.

Hopefully, someone would know what was happening.

* * *

"Byakuya taichou, do you have a moment?" Byakuya blinked, looking up from his paperwork. Unohana was standing in the door to his office, smiling. "I believe I may have some information about Ichigo."

"Ichigo?" Byakuya was standing immediately. It had been too long since the hybrid was lost, and they were close to declaring him dead. "What is it?" Unohana coughed into her hand.

"You will need to be discreet. I just received a message from Urahara Kisuke. He has a materialized zanpakuto and a demon in his shop, both in an extremely poor condition and suffering from amnesia. The demon seems to be obsessed with her lost child." That made Byakuya's blood freeze and Unohana's smile was sympathetic. "Kisuke believes if the zanpakuto is not reunited with his wielder soon, both will die. He isn't sure what is happening to the demon."

"Ichigo." It had to be. But how had the hybrid ended up in the Living World? Byakuya decided it didn't matter. He needed to take care of this, right now. "Thank you for the information, Unohana taichou. I will investigate it immediately. Renji, come with me." The demon might be in poor condition, but Byakuya knew Ichigo's strength. And if she - she? - truly had amnesia, the demon might not remember him.

It was wise to be cautious.


End file.
